“We acknowledge that the work was disruptive this morning.
Traffic build up on Tarawera Rd due to SH30A road closure on Monday.
“We’ve taken this into consideration and have removed the detour from the city out to the airport to allow the afternoon peak to use SH30A.
“This closure is the quickest and safest way to carry out the necessary road rebuild with asphalt layers, which requires large volumes of plant and equipment to be on site.”
The agency said all four lanes would be open by 6am Tuesday morning and traffic management would remain in place as work has started and part of the road surface was dug out.
“Ramps will be installed where the road is at different levels to keep motorists safe.
“People walking or cycling must use the sign-posted track.
The agency said it would re-assess the weather and programme this morning and share the updated plan as soon as it was confirmed.
U turn after gridlock traffic chaos
NZ Transport Agency’s U-turn on the closure came following a stinging rebuke from Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell and a major backlash from city businesses and residents.
After a morning of “gridlock” and traffic chaos in Rotorua, Tapsell told Local Democracy Reporting she sent an “urgent request” for NZTA to reconsider the closure.
“The disruption has been much more significant than expected,” the mayor said.
NZ Transport Agency’s U-turn on the closure came following a stinging rebuke from Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell and a major backlash from city businesses and residents.
“Many people are feeling distressed at the wide-ranging impact this is having on our community.”
Tapsell said she has asked NZTA for alternatives and “more transparency” over its decision to close the entire section of road.
“It may be easier for them but it’s coming at great cost to the local community.”
Tapsell also expressed concern over the “frustratingly inefficient” work.
“We only saw cones out and not a lot of action,” she said.
Rotorua Lakes Council group manager of infrastructure and assets Stavros Michael said NZTA did not require council approval for state highway works, Local Democracy Reporting reported yesterday.
“We are not involved in the decision-making.”
The section of State Highway 30A that was closed on Monday, and the suggested detour routes.
Councillor Gregg Brown called it an “absolute cluster”.
“It’s ridiculous and how they expected Rotorua to put up with it for three or four weeks is beyond me,” Brown said.
“The Government bangs on about the lack of productivity across the country and here we are stuck in traffic for an hour and a half trying to get into town.”
He also worried about the impact on emergency services with traffic at a standstill.
Hato Hone St John said it had been warned of the closure and knew of no impacts on ambulance services yesterday.
Rotorua businessman and developer Ray Cook said it felt to him like NZTA was “holding Rotorua to ransom” with the road closure.
Lanes coming into town from the airport direction still needed to use the detour until 6am Tuesday morning, when all lanes will be reopened.
After the “horrendous” first day, he said he asked the council chief executive Andrew Moraes to urgently advocate to NZTA for a staged delivery on current and future projects.
“The current model is imposing an avoidable and unacceptable burden on Rotorua,” Cook said.
He said the closure caused disruption that was “economically and operationally unsustainable”, with several businesses making losses after missed deliveries.
“Any cost efficiencies NZTA gained by pushing this through as a single-stage closure are being outweighed daily by lost productivity, disrupted essential services and compromised emergency access.”
Cook proposed a two-stage method, with one-lane access maintained, as a preferred alternative.
Traffic built up in Rotorua’s eastern surburbs on Monday morning.
Rotorua Girls’ High School principal Sarah Davis said three students nearly missed their Level 1 te reo Māori NCEA exam.
Six staff members from Eastside were also about two hours late.
“We had several phone calls from very stressed whānau trying to get their girls to school and exams on time,” Davis said.
Lynmore Primary School principal Hinei Taute said she came out from her office to an “exceptionally long line” of late students this morning.
Taute said these children would be marked as present and she hoped other schools would follow suit.
NZTA said the work was originally supposed to start on Monday last week but was delayed by weather. It was still expected to finish December 12.
– Additional reporting by Mathew Nash Local Democracy Reporting