Wharepuhunga Road rehabilitation

   Added 5 years ago

Road users travelling along Wharepuhunga Road will soon have a much smoother ride.

Work will soon be underway to improve the safety of Wharepuhunga Road with just over 1km of the road scheduled to be fixed in the coming months.

Ōtorohanga District Council Engineering Officer Road Maintenance Lew Pulman says the rehabilitation of a section of road, in between Happy Valley Road and Mangatutu Road intersections, has been on the books for some time due to its constant failures, so he’s happy the work is going ahead.

“The road needs to be rebuilt, and when completed it should have a life expectancy of 25 years,” he says.

Work will involve environmental controls, earthworks, vegetation clearing, the establishment of surface water channels, fencing, culvert works, pavement construction, sealing, and line marking.

“Moisture under the pavement is the biggest problem so extra drainage and culverts will be fitted to prevent the contamination of the Mangatutu Stream,” says Mr Pulman.

“The road will also receive a sealed upgrade, including widening two corners to improve safety and sight, and the pavement will be strengthened and stabilised and a

The contract for the works has been awarded to Cambridge based company Camex Civil and will cost just over $500,000.00. The improvements will also be part funded by NZTA.new pavement layer on top.”

Wharepuhunga Road, north east of Ōtorohanga, is about 19km long and has been classed by NZTA as a ‘secondary collector’ road, meaning the road links local areas of population and economic sites. It averages more than 300 vehicles per day.

The last time Wharepuhunga Road was rehabilitated was four years ago where similar work was undertaken along the first 2kms.

Road Safety Coordinator Rachel Stubbs says ODC’s commitment to improving the safety of local roads goes hand in hand with her current work in addressing speed management in the region.

“Ōtorohanga District Council has been heavily involved in background planning as part of the regional speed management group helping to develop plans that work for the whole of the Waikato district,” she says.

“Speed Management is about looking at our roads and seeing what we can do to make them safer for all road users.”

Otorohanga Councillor Robyn Klos thanks the roading team for their commitment.

“As the Wharepuhunga Ward councillor, I am delighted to see that our rural ratepayers are going to see s

“It took some persuasion for Council to have a change of heart to put extra funds into these roads. It might only be 1 km but we are grateful and every km adds up. We look forward to a smoother drive in the near future. Thank you to our roading staff.”ome improvements happening to what is probably our busiest road within this district,” she says.