A major road closure on Thornton Road has allowed Whakatāne District Council to refine the expected timeframes for improvement works underway on the district’s main western entrance.
Road renewal works to a large portion of Thornton Road are progressing well, and Dave Wathall, Team Leader Capital Projects says implementing a full (residents only) road closure has positively impacted project timeframes.
“We know the disruption is inconvenient, however completing these works under a full road closure, as opposed to stop/go, or temporary traffic lights, reduces resources and construction time, while ensuring a safer working environment, with the added benefit of reducing the length of disruptions for road users.”
“Closing this section of Thornton Road is enabling our crews to get in and out of this area as safely and efficiently as possible with the overall goal of re-opening this key arterial route as soon as possible,” says Dave.
Prior to works commencing, Mr Wathall estimated the road closure would lead to overall project savings of 10-15% and a time saving of up to 20%.
“The closure has already helped refine our timelines, and we’re pleased to advise Thornton Road will be re-opening earlier than expected.”
The section of Thornton Road currently closed (between West Bank Road and Greig Road), will now re-open to all traffic at the earlier date of Wednesday, 27 November 2024.
The section of West Bank Road (between Thornton Road and Greig Road) will now close on Monday, 4 November, re-opening on 13 December (weather dependant).
An additional section of West Bank Road (between Gow Road and property number 504 West Bank Road) will commence under a road closure in early January 2025 following the Christmas break, to be completed in March 2025.
Mr Wathall says detours continue to be in place via the state highway network. While Greig Road is also an option for light traffic (until 4 November).
“These detours will lead to additional traffic making use of the state highway network and there may be changes to your usual travel times.”
“We encourage everyone to stay up to date with detour information, plan ahead for this, consider carpooling where possible, and allow more time to get to where you need to be.”
Access on the closed roads is available for residents, emergencies, businesses located within the site and school buses.
For more information, including a list of Frequently Asked Questions, please see www.whakatane.govt.nz/thorntonwestbankrenewal
