Fix The Gorge – But Then What?

145 days after the latest closure of the Manawatu Gorge commenced, any signs that our primary road link to Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa and, most importantly, the Port of Napier will reopen are still well over the horizon. With the summer holiday upon us, many more unlucky travellers have now experienced the frustration of being stuck behind a heavy vehicle not at all suited to the undulating twists of the Saddle Road. For those who travel the route daily, the journey’s additional complications have become far more onerous than a pesky inconvenience. It’s costing money and endangering travellers’ safety.

No one can fault the clean-up operation. That it is taking so long is not the fault of the NZ Transport Authority, the Government or the contractors working on the cliff-face. In fact, we should all acknowledge the skill and bravery of those workers who are tackling what is a colossal engineering challenge that cannot be rushed. We will be in their debt when the work is done.

But once it is done and the road re-opened, how long will it be before another slip closes it again? We can’t answer that question but we know that closures are inevitable. Some will be small, others will be large and there is nothing to say that even more substantial slips than the ones that caused the current closure will not occur. That is the nature of the Gorge’s geology and geography.

Constant closure would not be tolerated on roads – dare I say it – further North. There are strong economic and safety arguments in favour of building better transport links to the East of Palmerston North and doing so is long overdue.

Will this just be another opportunity to overlook the provinces or will the Government make a serious assessment of the options available and act decisively in favour of our region?

Printed in the Manawatu Guardian 12.01.2012