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Relief may be in sight for long-suffering drivers who have to use a rough, pothole-ridden road which runs between Te Hana and Wellsford Valley Road.
Although the three-kilometre Whakapirau Road is officially tar-sealed, large sections are now reduced to patches of bare metal and the surface is pock-marked with holes along its length.
Temporary speed signs have been installed, reducing the limit to 50 or even 30km/h in places, and there are also ‘uneven surface’ warnings, but those uneven surfaces can still come as a nasty shock to motorists unfamiliar with the road.
Auckland Transport said logging trucks coming out to SH1 from the west coast were causing the problems, to the extent that staff had opted to ‘unseal’ stretches, rather than keep trying to patch them unsuccessfully.
“It was a challenge to keep patching the roads with limited success, and this led to the decision to revert several sections to unsealed,” a spokesperson said.
“We are working with our contractor to sort out the unsealed potholes as soon as possible.
“This road is listed as one of 10 roads we prioritised for rehabilitation for the coming financial year. We are still waiting for a decision on what is approved for the 2024-2025 rehab programme.”
