West Auckland businesses sceptical roads will be fixed by latest deadline

Nearly two years after the Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle, repairs are still being made to Scenic Drive in the Waitākere Ranges.

The road was badly damaged in the extreme weather of 20-23 January 2023.

At first Auckland Transport (AT) said it would be fixed by June this year, but that date had been pushed out three times, and it was now aiming to reopen Scenic Drive in December.

Meanwhile, the tough times continued for businesses along the road.

Rahul Uppal had been running the Olive Kitchen and Bar, perched on Scenic Drive just beyond Titirangi Village on the picturesque road to Piha Beach, for five years.

"This is like a baby for me, because I started in 2019 when this business was like almost nothing. And then we got Covid, and then like end of 2022, we got these floods and that and now we got road closures.

"So we've seen everything that we can, and we're still managing to get through this. We are a destination place - some of the people don't know where we are, but if you go to Piha then only you know where we are."

He said the restaurant had been relying on regular customers to make ends meet.

"Do you know it's embarrassing to send the emails to customers every month and asking for support?"

Until February this year, Scenic Drive was basically down to one lane as Auckland Transport checked for damage. Since then, a major section of the road had been completely closed as repairs were carried out - and that had been costly for Rahul's business.

"We have lost 35 to 40 percent of the revenue because we rely on people going and coming to Piha, and we have got no tourists coming through this side anymore because they [are] all going through the West Coast Road and all."

Rahul was sceptical of the new planned opening date in December.

"It was meant to be from February till June, and then we get the email in May it's going to be July, and then we get another email in June that it's going to be October.

"Then we get another email in July that it's going to be December, and I am 101 percent sure it's not going to be done by then."

AT said it had found more weak spots under the road where more strengthening was needed. Some sections were complex, as the road must be able to take heavy vehicles.

Waitākere Ranges Local Board chairperson Greg Presland said several factors had pushed out the timeline.

"Originally they were repairing two slips, and then part way through the process they discovered that there was a long area of the road which had the potential of slipping at any time. So that third project is one that's been added on to the wreck.

"They've also had some rock slips from the other side of the road from the eastern side and it's increased concerns about danger, and they've had to take remedial steps to try and fix those. So yeah, the job has become much more complicated."

Right now to get from Titirangi to Piha, you have to drive inland to Glen Eden before heading out again on West Coast Road. Uppal said the detour signage was confusing and turning his customers away

"If you go to the roundabout in Titirangi, the detour itself, it's very distracting. Like, you don't know where to go. They only have signs like 'road closed ahead'. We get customers calling us. Hey, we can't find your restaurant. Sorry, we are not coming."

Next to Olive Kitchen was Hayley Brown's art studio and gallery. She said there was no point in keeping the gallery open until the roadworks were complete.

"My business [pairs] with Olive Kitchen, where people come to the cafe and go to the gallery etc, especially on the weekends. It's a nice place to come out and get a coffee and have a look at the gallery.

"We've obviously expected a much shorter closure, and now there's been delays several several times going into winter. I've taken an opportunity to close at the moment."

AT said it had been keeping locals informed about roadworks, with notices in the post, visits to local business, an email newsletter, and website and social media updates.

But Brown said she would like to hear more about why there had been delays on Scenic Drive.

"I'm an information person and I find that just posting on Facebook and saying 'hey, we've found another slip', 'we need to order some steel beams', to me, that's not enough of an explanation. I think we should be offered at least a detailed report of why [and] what is actually going on."

She said she wanted more accountability.

"In this situation we're all paying our rates, but it's very hard to hold accountable timelines. There is no recourse. There is not even compensation."

AT said the storm damage to the Waitākere Ranges was significant, and it acknowledged the disruption of roadworks in the hilly area.

As well as road-strengthening, power, water and drainage systems were being updated, all with caution to protect the surrounding rainforest.