The National Road Carriers Association has made submissions in support of a Mt Messenger bypass on State Highway 3 in North Taranaki.
The trucking organisation submitted its recommendations to the New Plymouth District Council for the proposed 6km route which would bypass the current 7.4km stretch of road.
It says the planned bypass will be safer, cut out a 350km detour when the Mt Messenger road is closed and make Taranaki more accessible to and from the Waikato.
The organisation believes the current road, built 90 years ago, is too narrow, with many tight bends and gradients of up to 12% and a tunnel that is not big enough to accommodate over size loads.
The new road, through a parallel valley to the current route will have maximum gradients of 7.5%, wider lanes and gentle curves.
Both the tourism and transport industry would benefit from the bypass, National Road Carriers chief executive David Aitken says.
“The road is often closed by slips and crashes. In icy and wet conditions some trucks can’t get enough traction to get up the hill,” Aitken says.
The alternative when the road is not passable is via Wanganui and SH4 which can add up to $1000 extra in transport costs for a single journey.
It is not possible to do a return trip to and from the Waikato in a day using the longer route. As many as 400 trucks a day use the Mt Messenger road.
“The Mt Messenger bypass will benefit all businesses in Taranaki that rely on road transport.
“There will be greater connectivity to the north and the bypass fits within the Government’s safer journeys plan to improve travel efficiency, increase safety and reduce travel times,” Aitken says.
