A new State Highway 3 route has been earmarked to replace the closed Manawatu Gorge.
The NZ Transport Agency have selected a preferred option which runs near the Te Apiti carpark western entry of the closed Manawatu Gorge, cross the Ruahine Ranges north of the Gorge, before emerging at Woodville.
This was one of four options to connect the Manawatu, Tararua District, Hawke’s Bay and northern Wairarapa regions after the gorge road was cut off by large slips last year.
The proposed route will have an average incline gradient of 5.8%, with a maximum of 8% (in comparison, the current main alternative route, the Saddle Rd, has a maximum gradient of 16%).
Travel time is estimated to be 13 minutes for general traffic (compared to an average 16.7 minutes that it took to travel the Manawatu Gorge).
NZTA regional relationships director Emma Speight says the option was chosen after a thorough investigation and extensive consultation.
Speight says it is the safest and most resilient route that best balances the needs of the communities, businesses and road users.
“Everybody understands just how important a replacement for the gorge is. It will re-establish a key strategic transport and freight link that supports the needs of the people and economies of central New Zealand.
“Alongside this, the Transport Agency has committed to advancing investigations for a Regional Freight Ring Road, including a second road bridge across the Manawatu River, which stakeholders across the region see as a critical package to unlocking regional economic development opportunities,” Speight says.
Horizons Regional Council chairman Bruce Gordon says a Regional Freight Ring Road in combination with the Manawatū Gorge replacement route would be a significant step forward for the region.
“It would connect key freight hubs and bring significant improvements to freight and passenger vehicle movements through the central North Island hub of Manawatu, improving travel times and lowering costs.
“This better positions the region to attract investment in logistics, manufacturing and processing, which is critical for the region’s future growth and prosperity,” Gordon says.
A detailed business case on the new SH3 route will be finalised over the next few weeks.
The project team will then seek resource consents with construction planned to begin in 2020 and the new road completed by 2024.
