‘Be Realistic’ – Truckie Urges Tasman Council To Keep Key Road Open

Wednesday, 16 April 2025, 9:09 pm
Article: Max Frethey - Local Democracy Reporter

Transport companies are nervous as Tasman District Council debates whether it will close one of the district’s busiest roads for a bridge upgrade or spend another $1 million to keep it open.

Richmond’s Lower Queen Street crosses Borck Creek, an integral section of the town’s stormwater network.

The bridge that crosses over the waterway is too narrow to let enough water out during large flood events and needs to be widened.

A temporary bridge could be built adjacent to the worksite to keep the route open, but that would cost an extra $1 million at a time when councils are already grappling with rising costs.

But the prospect of a full closure for 10 months or more for the upgrade would come at a cost for those who use the road the most.

Dion Mytton contracts for Nelson Pine Industries, which lies north of the potential closure on the other side of Richmond, delivering exports to Port Nelson.

He drives along Lower Queen Street “a fair bit” – about 40 times a day, resulting in about 5000 trips each year.

The twice-daily peak traffic already costs Mytton up to two extra hours each day, but a closure of the road was expected to push Richmond’s traffic network to the verge of gridlock.

Heavy traffic would also be forced to take a detour via the Appleby Highway/SH60 if the road was closed, adding more than 6km to each round trip.

Combining the detour with worsened traffic, Mytton expected that a closure would force his operating costs up by a quarter, or about $300,000 – a cost he wasn’t able to meet.

“Time’s money,” he said.

“Someone has to pay for that. So, whether [council] are going to pay for it – I’m pretty sure Nelson Pine won’t want to pay for it – but I certainly won’t be absorbing those costs.”

Mytton urged the council to “be realistic” and to spend the $1 million to keep the road open.

Brodie Drummond, director of Stuart Drummond Transport, which is based north of the potential closure point, echoed similar concerns.

The congestion increase seen over the last five years had already had a “huge” financial impact for the business and its customers, and had reduced efficiency, he said.

Lower Queen Street was a key arterial route for the business and was used for deliveries, refuelling, and truck servicing with almost 600 truck movements on the road in March alone.

“Every additional kilometre we travel over and above our normal distance is costing more money,” Drummond said.

He also had safety concerns about the heightened level of detoured traffic that would be travelling along the “narrow” McShane Road.

Hato Hone St John’s Nelson Ambulance Service base is also located north of the closure, on the other side from Richmond.

Nelson Marlborough operations manager Anne-Maree Harris said the organisation was in discussions with the council to identify potential issues with the possible closure and determine how they could be mitigated.

“Our crews right across the motu face road layout changes and congestion on an almost daily basis,” she said.

“When our ambulances are faced with roading issues, our ambulance staff will use alternate routes, where possible, to avoid any response delays.”

Harris reminded drivers to pull over and stop so emergency vehicles can pass when they’re using their sirens or lights.

Kai Kruse, chief operating officer as Nelson Pine, said the company was concerned about potential traffic issues and the impacts this may have on businesses and residents.

Tasman District Council has spent the last two weeks engaging with more than 70 businesses and residents on Lower Queen Street, a spokesperson said.

Areas reached include the LQS Industrial Park, the Estuary Place industrial park, and businesses and residences located on Lower Queen Street north of the proposed closure.

Other stakeholders not directly contacted can also access information about the project through the council’s website and publications.

Residents who contacted Local Democracy Reporting were split on the issue, though slightly more favoured closing the road, primarily to save the $1 million that would be spent to keep the route open.

One resident of the Waimea Plains Arvida Lifestyle Village, located just 100 metres from the construction site, thought the project would be “messy” either way and so the council should take the cheaper and quicker option to close the road.

However, they added that Berryfield Drive should get safety improvements before it was used as a detour.

Another Richmond resident from the Washbourn area thought motorists would be able to adapt to a closure.

An Upper Moutere resident who travels the road everyday also thought the route should remain shut but that the contractor doing the project should work around the clock to complete it as soon as possible.

Those that wanted the council to build the temporary bridge to keep the road open largely were concerned about the impacts on traffic.

One Aniseed Valley resident said traffic was already “diabolical” and further strains on the network would see even longer queues beyond Richmond, while someone on McShane Road thought a closure would see an increase in road rage incidents that would clog up the courts.

Another resident from the Washbourn area however wondered if the project should be deferred until the Hope Bypass was completed, given the low frequency of severe weather events.

The road will close for 5 days from 12 May while communication lines and water pipes are relocated away from the road and trees are removed.

Traffic will be monitored during this time and the findings will inform the council’s decision on whether it closes the road or not, which will be made at its 19 June meeting.

The council has said previously it didn’t undertake the bridge upgrade prior to the recent developments in Richmond West, which have generated significant traffic, as it had to prioritise infrastructure that directly supported the Government-designated Special Housing Area.

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