Three Mayors see ETA signs go up

Past Mayors Joan Williamson-Orr and Clayton Stent and the present Taupo District Council Mayor, Rick Cooper met on Centennial Drive to herald the start of activity on the ground for the ETA project.

Billboards going up along critical points of the ETA route are a visible sign that the long journey to procure a Taupo’s arterial route which will remove heavy trucks and traffic from the lakefront, is close to becoming a reality. The ETA, a 16km highway including a bridge over the Waikato River, will run along the eastern outskirts of Taupo from Wairakei to Taupo Airport.

The Mayors agreed that it has been a demanding but exciting journey and there is cause for celebration both by Council and also many past and present members of the Taupo community who have been a part of the ongoing battle to get this asset for Taupo.

Mayor Rick Cooper said, “even though I am the one at the helm right now, I have to give credit where it’s due and I acknowledge Joan and Clayton’s special and critical roles in what has been a work in progress for over 30 years. During this time there has been fierce competition for limited national, regional and local roading funding and Taupo has come out ahead of many larger, better resourced Councils.”

He says the dedication and persistence required to achieve this can not be underestimated, “my hat goes off to Joan and Clayton for their persistence and dedication to the cause and it’s only fitting they are acknowledged as we get near to our goal. There are of course numerous other very important people that we will want to highlight and thank as we move towards the start of construction through to cutting the ribbon in less than 3 years time, but today is about the fact that as past and present Mayors we are very much a team with a great passion for Taupo.”

Contractors will be moving onsite over the next couple of months with construction of the road fully underway in March or April 2009. Mayor Rick says the Billboards will be updated regularly as the project progresses and there will be a celebrations timed around major milestone dates, “so watch this space!”.