The underpass has a 4.25m clearance – but that’s lower than the maximum height permitted for trucks.
News the Otewa Rd underpass is to be re-sealed caused concern for Ōtorohanga councillor and road transport operator Rodney Dow. The OTL Group managing director says he gets nervous when people start mucking round with rail underpasses. He was commenting on council roading manager Paul Strange’s report delivered at last week’s meeting which mentioned work on the underpass, off SH3 on Ōtorohanga’s southern boundary. “As you may not know, it is below the legal limit for a hyper truck, so we have to build our trucks especially slightly smaller than normal to get under Otewa Road. “Then when I see them painting yellow things and putting tar seal… as long as they dig out and don’t put tarseal on top,” Dow said. Strange said they had levelled the road and were going to lower it by 30mm for re-sealing. “Which gives us 30mm to get wrong and still be right, because it’s not an exact science,” Strange said. “Some of the trucks you have to let air out of the suspension to get them under it,” Dow said. The underpass is signposted as having a 4.25m clearance. The legal maximum height for trucks is 4.3m. “Some of our trucks the covers touch,” he said. “If anything, the contractors could go a bit heavier on the digging out. A bit lower would be good.” Asphalt surfacing was planned for the rail underpasses at Ōtewā Road and Huiputea Drive. Ōtewā Road is planned before July 2024. The work will be disruptive and needs planning to reduce traffic impacts. The site was too close to homes to do night works, Strange said. Huiputea Road will proceed next summer, after required stormwater improvements are made to control gravel and silt entering the system which will limit flooding in the underpass. The gravel overflow carpark will need to be reshaped and only cars allowed on it. In reply to Cr Cathy Prendergast Strange said the Lethbridge bridge pre-cast concrete deck panels were in the process of being poured, and would be delivered on site in the first week of June and installed late June early July.
