Four years after starting as a ‘shovel ready’ project after Covid-19, “Huarahi Tūhono - Weber to Wimbledon” – the Route 52 Upgrade is complete.

In 2020 Tararua District Council was granted $14.6 million from the Provincial Growth Fund to assist with maintaining employment in the district.

Tararua District Council maintains about 150km of Route 52, which starts at the Tararua District’s northern boundary and ends near Masterton. Other sections are maintained by Central Hawke’s Bay District Council and Masterton District Council.

The funding granted was for upgrading 26km of the route deemed most in need of safety and resilience improvements, between Weber to Wimbledon and the Central Hawkes Bay district boundary.

Tararua District Mayor Tracey Collis says it’s a huge milestone to have this project completed: “The project was about making this critical stretch of Route 52 safer and more resilient, and it has achieved that. It’s taken a lot of work and time, and credit must go to the local community for waiting so patiently and to the contractors who have worked on what was a treacherous route in sometimes atrocious conditions.”

The road was subjected to multiple storms during construction, including Cyclone Gabrielle, resulting in a larger programme and an additional $2 million to cover the impact of delays caused by the disruption from weather events.

“The project was pulled together after Covid-19 with support from central government and the brief was bigger than improving the road, it was about getting our local economy going again. The project created the equivalent of full-time work for 230 people with 91% local and sourcing materials locally was also a priority.”

“Route 52 is a key connection between us and our neighbouring districts but also a key route for our rural sectors, forestry in particular, and the lifeline connection for the people of Herbertville, Akitio, Pongaroa and Alfredton. These areas are popular with visitors and we can now promote them with the confidence that the journey is much safer and smoother.”

Tararua District Council Infrastructure Manager Hamish Featonby says the upgrade has provided a consistent journey and the road is unrecognisable in places. “There was significant investment in stabilising the road, with around 6km of pavement retreated onto more stable ground. The worst blind corners have been opened up and the previously narrow road now has a consistent width of 7.5m, which is much safer for heavy vehicles.”

“By the time Cyclone Gabrielle came, much of the drainage work had been completed, which put the site to a significant test. Cyclone Gabrielle resulted in superficial damage, largely slips from the slopes well above the road formation, and the carriageway itself received no major damage. The road was navigable the day after the cyclone, which was a true test of the works, and quite the contrast to the roads nearby which weren’t prepared for that intensity of weather.” Hamish says.

The upgrade was delivered by Council’s roading team, Tararua Alliance – a partnership between Tararua District Council and Downer – and primary subcontractors Alabaster Contracting and HES Earthmoving.

The project was named ‘Huarahi Tūhono - Weber to Wimbledon’ during a workshop between Council and representatives from iwi and the local community. Huarahi means ‘road or pathway’ and Tūhono means ‘to connect: ‘The road that connects Weber to Wimbledon.’ Route 52 – formerly State Highway 52 – dates back to 1859 and is a New Zealand Cycle Trail.

Check out Huarahi Tūhono - Weber to Wimbledon | Tararua District Council for more details.