Access from eta to crown road
Taupo District Council have been quick to react to concerns of businesses on Crown Road and have negotiated a solution allowing access from the ETA (East Taupo Arterial) to the Crown Rd area
Taupo District Council CEO, Mr Williams said originally the roading authority had required access from Crown Road to be removed as part of the ETA consents. “Basically, for safety reasons, we cannot have multiple access roads on to the ETA. There are plans for a connector road from Crown Road to State Highway Five, but this was some time off in the future. Until then Crown Road would have been a dead end street.”
“However, the businesses came to Council with genuine concerns about the impact that this would have on them and a willingness to work together. They tasked Council with finding a solution and allowed us to get on with it,” he said.
Mayor Rick Cooper says Council took the concerns of Crown Road businesses very seriously and is pleased at the way the parties have been able to work with everyone trying to do the right thing, “after ongoing discussions NZTA, the roading authority, have agreed to an adjustment to the original plans for the ETA. A single lane slip road, similar to an off-ramp, is to be put in place on the ETA route to allow northbound vehicles to exit on to Crown Road, access for southbound traffic will be via the roundabout on the junction of SH5.”’
He says NZTA want Council to bring forward the construction of the connector road, “although there were always plans to create a connector road in the future, we are now committing to build it within the next five years. Once this road is in place, the slip road will be removed.”
Mayor Cooper says “I know a lot of discussion has gone on behind the scenes between our CEO Rob Williams and CEO Harry Wilson of NZTA and they should be commended in their efforts to work this out quickly and amicably. It is it is pretty amazing that in three weeks, we have been able to put in place a workable solution.
He said “I also want to acknowledge the good work that Roy Marsden has done on behalf of the Crown Road businesses, he has been focussed on working with Council to get a good result and has played a key role in making this happen.”