A crash involving a truck and trailer carrying asbestos-contaminated material on the Waikato Expressway at Tamahere last week has raised safety concerns from Cambridge Chamber of Commerce chief executive Kelly Bouzaid.
Waikato Expressway traffic hold up
The expressway was closed for 11 hours after the truck jack-knifed, and spilled concrete material containing asbestos onto the road.
The clean up involved Waikato Regional Council and Cambridge Volunteer Fire Brigade.
Kelly Bouzaid
Bouzaid, whose property backs onto a $6.4 million concrete recycling facility on the western outskirts of Leamington, expressed concern about the frequency of asbestos transport through Cambridge. The facility, a converted quarry, processes construction waste, including asbestos.
“I’m watching asbestos marked trucks going in and out of there on a regular basis,” she said. “It’s all (happening) under the radar.”
Her primary concern is that trucks using the expressway must pass through Cambridge, raising potential health and safety risks for residents.
The truck involved in the incident was carrying a 24-tonne trailer of contaminated concrete from Taupō District Council’s Broadlands Road Landfill. The material was bagged and secured before departure.
An image taken by Won’t be Quiet Waipa of the former quarry site now a recycling plant.
An image taken by Won’t be Quiet Waipa of the former quarry site now a recycling plant.
Waikato Regional Council senior incident response officer Paul George said its role after the crash on the expressway last week was to monitor the environmental issues caused by the spill.
“There should be no residual risk,” he said.
Waikato Demolition, a licensed asbestos contractor, handled the clean-up. An independent assessor confirmed the site was properly decontaminated.
The material was dampened with water, and all precautions were taken based on a worst-case scenario.
Bouzaid also criticised what she described as “ad hoc” decisions around trucking and waste management in the area. The Leamington recycling plant was approved by Waipā District Council staff without public notification, she said.
Representatives from the chamber, including Bouzaid, are scheduled to meet Taupō MP Louise Upston and council officials next month to discuss the need for expressway on-off ramps in Cambridge.
Mayor Susan O’Regan recently emphasised to Transport minister Chris Bishop how important it was to the town to have the ramps included in the Cambridge to Piarere four-laning project.
The already formed entrance from Newcombe Rd, less than 200m from the intersection with Tīrau Rd, could become an on ramp for quarry trucks. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
Waikato Expressway snarl up
