Maketu road to close as trees felled

The gum trees on Arawa Ave. supplied image

The felling of several tall gum trees bordering Te Arawa Avenue in Maketu will see road closures in the area during December.

The trees are being felled due to safety reasons and during this time Western Bay of Plenty District Council will be closing Arawa Avenue to all public traffic.

The closures will be in place from 195 Arawa Avenue to Bledisloe Park Avenue, from Monday December 10 to Saturday December 15, between 6am and 6pm.

The felling will be undertaken by WestLink and Bax Contractors.

The trees have become a safety hazard due to limbs falling onto the road. There have been two serious motor vehicles accidents caused by cars crashing at night into fallen branches on the road.

Several of the trees were blown down during the cyclones Debbie and Cook in April 2017.

Maketu Community Board chairman Shane Beech says it will be a relief to everyone to get rid of the trees.

'Many residents have been worried about the tree's safety and some people won't drive along Arawa Avenue for that reason,” says Shane.

The trees were originally planted at least 100 years ago by the Te Puke Dairy Company for the purpose of firewood to use for the company's boilers.

The public notice of the proposed road closure of Te Arawa Avenue for the tree felling is open for public objection. Anyone wishing to object can do so in writing before 24 October 2018. Objections can be emailed to: customerservice@westernbay.govt.nz

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2 comments

Snippet of history

Posted on 12-10-2018 09:16 | By SonnyJim

Very nice to see a short historical comment regarding the gums. Maybe a reader could add just a little more for the follow-up article as the trees must be sole survivors of a larger plot ? As surely trees were not just randomly planted along roadsides so far from the dairy company for fire wood ?


Kiwi drivers

Posted on 12-10-2018 10:41 | By Kenworthlogger

Well obviously Aussie drivers are much better at driving to the conditions than their Kiwi conterparts as most Aussie country roads are lined with the same trees and the council dosnt cut them all down when a branch or two fall off...


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