Community, agencies tidying entry to Whangarei

A whole lot of people are about to pull together a project that will upgrade the southern entrance to Whangarei City next week.

Whangarei District Council has partnered with the Smeatons’ Community, the New Zealand Transport Agency, Opus, Downers and the Community Probation Service, to improve 300 metres of roadside along State Highway One from the Bunnings fence (next to Gull Service Station) to the Smeatons Drive.

The work will also include improvements to a private/public access way which is not part of the state highway (maintained by the Transport Agency) or the Whangarei roading network (looked after by Council).

The 80 metre access way is used as a public walkway by the Smeatons community, but as it is not vested to Council, it has been neglected. It will be painted and receive a new gravel surface, through the generous donation of metal from Winstone Aggregates and traffic management support from Downers.

People on community probation will wheel-barrow 20 cubic metres of metal (that’s around 4 truck loads or 500 wheelbarrow loads) from Smeatons’ Drive down the access way, and they will paint the fence along State Highway One. The Smeatons Community will paint the accessway fences.
Representatives from the Smeatons’ Community will be on hand for access to the community hall for the community workers to use for tea and toilets.

Called the Whangarei Gateway Project, the Smeaton’s-Bunnings stage of the project work will start on Monday 10 November with the Transport Agency’s sub-contractor starting to clear trees and pest plants before carrying out landscape improvements. The Community Probation Service is due to start work on the gravel next Wednesday and Thursday (12 & 13 November) and paint the fence adjoining State Highway One the following Thursday (20 November). This continues on from work already completed on state highway one at Lookout Hill.

The Smeatons Community plans to hold a painting day on the weekend of the 15-16 November.

Whangarei District Council Community Safety Officer David Palmer said the project was a great example of things spontaneously coming together to assist communities with the support of the Transport Agency and companies such as Winstone Aggregates, Opus and Downers who have donated their services and resources to make this community project happen.

“Our community services team work with local communities, and often our projects include working with the Community Probation Service who are committed to investing back into the community. Recently the Transport Agency staff have re-located to the Council’s Roading offices. They and the Council’s roading staff work with contractors all the time, and with all of us being located close together and hearing each other talking about our respective work, this has created the opportunity for a cooperative project to fall into place. “

The Transport Agency’s Highway Manager, Brett Gliddon, says relocating NZTA staff to the Council offices presents more opportunities to work together for the benefit of Whangarei.

“It’s fitting that one of the first projects we’ve planned together is the beautification of the city’s southern gateway. Co-operation like this to benefit the community and road users and avoid duplication and delay is the sort of thing we were looking for when we re-located to the Council offices.”

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