A Southland District Councillor has welcomed the firming up of a roading project which has been on the drawing board for almost 10 years.
The New Zealand Transport Agency expects to begin building a bypass around Edendale in 2016-17.
The 2km road, estimated to carry 4000 vehicles a day, is expected to cost $6 million to $7 million and take about two years to complete.
At present, motorists travel past houses, the town's school and recreation ground, and a Fonterra dairy factory, negotiating a sharp bend and two railway crossings in the process.
The bypass will swing round the western side of Edendale, rejoining State Highway 1 to the north of the Fonterra site.
Cr Paul Duffy, who represents the Edendale area, said while there were ''possible negative impacts'' associated with the bypass, he believed it would be beneficial in the long term, especially for the safety of school pupils.
The expansion of the Fonterra site has resulted in more milk tankers on the highway and there had also been an increase in heavy traffic generally, he said.
''I have long been associated with the school and it has always been a fear of mine that something would happen to a child outside the school. Having a bypass would improve that situation.''
NZTA project team leader Simon Underwood said the major benefits of the project were safety, reduced travel times between Invercargill and Gore, plus the more efficient movement of freight between Otago and Southland.
Detailed plans for the bypass, including what land might be required, were several months away from completion, he said.
