Riverton resident Leah Boniface wants the Southland District Council to seal the 300m northern section of Palmerston St, where she has lived for about 30 years.
The gravel road is technically part of the town’s main street, but is home to just four houses, sheds, horse stables and land.
She first contacted the council in 1992 with concerns related to the width of the road and asked it to seal the road in subsequent years.
That included going public in 2021 with her frustration, when she said she’d had to push her late husband in a wheelchair over gravel due to a lack of footpaths.
This month, Mrs Boniface told the council in a submission on its long-term plan consultation she was once again asking for improvements to the carriageway.
"Even a footpath surfaced with dunite [stone surface] would be an improvement for those who walk. Grass verges are always wet and unpleasant for pedestrians."
Requests for pothole repairs were generally addressed promptly, but they reappeared quickly after rain, she said.
Ponding was also an issue on one side of the street where there was no kerb or channel.
Mrs Boniface told Local Democracy Reporting the street had been "overlooked for too long", and questioned if it would ever be sealed.
The council has provided little to no light at the end of the tunnel for her.
At that time, then-mayor Gary Tong said the street serviced only two or three residents, and had been deemed not cost-effective to address.
The dollars were not there for doing such jobs, he said.
According to the council’s website, it manages nearly 5000km of roads throughout Southland.
The network comprises all roads, streets and bridges in the district except highways and national park roads.
• LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
