A short section of Swansea Road at the Caernarvon Drive end in Hastings is set to be closed from May 1 to June 30, meaning there will be a full two months in which road users will not be able to access that end of the street.

Hastings District Council (HDC) said the road is being closed for drainage works and the installation of underground water services.

When asked why this will take two months, a HDC spokesperson told the Hastings Leader that “it is a complex job”.

“The work includes upgrades of all Three Waters services, a roading upgrade to remediate level changes between the development site and the existing road and improvements to the road corridor, including berms and footpaths, and service installation by Unison,” the spokesperson said.

Because it is such a complex job and because of the depth at which much of the work needs to occur, a full road closure was the only way to ensure the safety of both workers and the public.

As it’s only a small section and Swansea Rd is a loop road, the council does not expect the road closure to impact people’s day-to-day travel.

“It is relatively straightforward to take the other leg of the road,” the HDC spokesperson said.

For most trips, it is estimated that taking the detour should add less than one minute to people’s commutes.

No business or organisation will be interrupted by this road closure as the church and neighbouring Kōhanga Reo on Swansea Rd have been consulted and are accessing their facilities off Caernarvon Drive, the spokesperson said.

While Google Maps shows there is a shop within the roadblock, the spokesperson was certain that “there is no shop there and Google Maps is either well out of date or wrong.”

HDC has put out public messaging warning people of the road closure and asked that people take extra care in the area.