Last of scenic route sealed

It was a wet and historic day on a small stretch of Clutha road yesterday.

About 50 Waihola and Taieri Mouth residents converged on the stretch of road that links their two respective tourist townships to celebrate the official opening of the Finlayson Rd sealing project - a ceremony that also marked the last section of the Southern Scenic Route to be sealed.

Clutha Mayor Juno Hayes, who officiated at a ribboncutting ceremony to mark the occasion, said it was a historic day for the district and the start of something great.

The 10km sealed stretch of road is expected to boost visitor numbers to both Taieri Mouth and Waihola, with the rest of Clutha also expected to benefit.

Sealing Finlayson Rd was first talked about decades ago, but gained momentum in recent years. It was one of the first significant construction projects in Otago to be funded from the regional ‘‘R'' fund made available by Land Transport New Zealand through the extra 5c a litre fuel levy.

The actual formalities on the road took only a few minutes but, when speeches were made indoors, Mr Hayes said he and others were thrilled with the high standard of the workmanship, the fact the project was completed ahead of time and that the long-awaited sealing was now a reality.

‘‘This has been an outstanding project.''

He made special mention of the contractors, SouthRoads and Montgomery Watson Harza, for their input and contribution.

One resident, who said he had been travelling the road for more than 80 years, said it was a historic day for the district and he was thrilled to finally see the metal replaced by tarseal.
SouthRoads chief executive Bruce Fox said his construction team, led by foreman Troy Dennison and contract manager Connell Burdon, had led a project that endured snow, heavy rain, hot summer days and the challenge of the job itself.