SH1 closure results in revenue drop for retailers

Road works at Gore's Hyde St roundabout on SH1, which resulted in a complete road closure on Monday, meant businesses in the area recorded a sharp drop in revenue.

Both lanes leading into and out of the roundabout were closed for road works, as were the side streets, leading to a very quiet trading day for retailers in the area.

Mataura Licensing Trust operations manager Bob Verco said the trust's Liquor Vault only took $62 on Monday because customers had difficulty getting to the outlet because of the road closures.

Mr Vercoe said $62 would not come near covering the overheads for the day.

He questioned why contractors could not have undertaken the work on Sunday when fewer people would have been affected.

While the road was open on Tuesday, the work had not been completed and further road closures were looming, retailers said.

Curson Motors manager Maree Gentle said while she understood the repairs had to be carried out and the business was notified of the closures, she questioned why both lanes had to be closed and why the work could not have been carried out on Sunday.

"It would have been a lot less disruptive [on Sunday]," Mrs Gentle said.

Curson Motors only had 87 customers through on Monday compared with an average of 300 a day, Mrs Gentle said.

Southern Auto Electrical owner Ross Baird said even though he was notified of the road closures in advance, he questioned how he could have conveyed to prospective customers the inconvenience the closures would entail.

"There were some grumpy people in here yesterday [Monday]," Mr Baird said.

He also believed that one lane could have been left open while the work was being carried out.

"It's State Highway 1 when all's said and done," he said.

Gore District Council roading manager Murray Hasler said the work was undertaken as a joint venture between the council and the New Zealand Transport Agency.

The work involved resurfacing and refurbishing the roundabout, which was undertaken by the NZTA, and the council repaired the railway crossing on Hyde St.

The work required a specialised machine from out of the region and there was only a limited time to use the machine, Mr Hasler said.

"So that dictated the timing of the work," he said.

Carrying out the work at night had been discounted because the machinery was too noisy, he said.

The stretch of road would be closed again when asphalt was applied.

He said businesses had been informed in advance of the closures.