Council rallies for district

Waikato District Council has increased resources to ensure roads in Raglan and Te Akau are speedily returned to their condition following the World Rally Championship this weekend.

The high profile international event attracts a lot of visitors to the Waikato district and has a positive economic impact on the district, however, general manager of roading & projects, Ian Gooden, says that following the event each year, some minor damage to roads is expected.

“As in previous years, we anticipate there may be damage to some of the roads caused by the rally cars, particularly as we are forecast wet weather leading up to the championship.

“To ensure the roads are returned as quickly as possible into a good condition after the rally, we have increased the amount of resources to quickly address any repairs needed”

Waikato District Council staff will be carrying out a post-rally inspection on Friday afternoon and Saturday (22 June and 23 June) to identify any issues and the council’s contractor will have trucks and trailers ready to start any necessary repair work immediately on the unsealed road network.

Mr Gooden said the council had increased resources this year in response to resident feedback asking the council to return roads to their original state as quickly as possible after the World Rally.

With the increase in staff and machinery Mr Goodin said he expected all grading to be completed and roads returned to a good condition, weather permitting, a week or two after the event.

We have also increased the number of graders grading the roads from one to three this year, and these will begin work on Monday or Saturday if there is any mayor damage to the road that would create a hazard to the road user.”

All repairs need as a result of damage caused by the rally are charged to Rally New Zealand.

For a list of road closures during the event please visit the council’s website www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/News-events/Public-notices