Friday, Dec 20, 2019
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Weighbridge ‘an accident hazard’ By Sue Newman
sue.n@theguardian.co.nz
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Plans to build a heavy traffic weighbridge between the Rakaia River bridge and the State Highway One overbridge have been slammed by mayor Neil Brown. The weighbridge, planned by the NZ Transport Agency will pose a significant accident risk as vehicles are stopped and forced to turn into the weighing area. This will also cause long lines of traffic to snake back across the bridge as large vehicles leave the weighbridge and grind their way up the overbridge, Brown said. The weighbridge is planned for land
NZTA owns between the two bridges but it needs an easement from the Ashburton District Council to erect a variable messaging sign on reserve land on the south side of the bridge. At yesterday’s council meeting, Brown and his council team made it very clear that the request was one they were far from happy to grant. “There is more to this than meets the eye; it’s an inappropriate place to pull trucks in and weigh them. This (approval for the signage) is a small part of a bigger picture. If we allow this today it’s giving the green light to something that is not appropriate,” he said. Brown has discussed the weigh-
bridge location with Selwyn mayor Sam Broughton and said he was of the same view. “It’s a good idea in the wrong place. We have land in Rakaia that’s industrial land that they could use. Other options need to be explored.” NZTA will go through a Notice of Requirement (NOR) process on the proposal. This will allow public submissions with the outcome determined by an independent hearing commissioner.
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