The group of six members, set up by the Waitaki District Council, is tasked with providing suggestions and recommendations about the road's future.
As part of that, the group has arranged a public meeting at Kakanui on Wednesday night seeking opinions and proposals which it can include in a report to the council, group chairman Peter Amyes said yesterday.
''The council have sat on their hands for over 14 years as erosion has eaten away at one of the few South Island coastal roads,'' he said.
It had paid for numerous reports and deliberated in many forums since 2000, with no firm outcome.
A strategy in 2010 to close sections of the road as they were affected by erosion attracted 103 public submissions, 100 wanting the road kept open.
Last year, an almost identical strategy was opposed by virtually the same percentage of submissions.
The council estimates erosion control could cost $3 million over 20 years, was too costly for the benefit received and sections would be bypassed, in addition to upgrading 14km of two shingle roads at a cost of $2 million to $3 million.
After the opposition highlighted by submissions, the council decided to set up Mr Amyes' group. The main issue for the council appeared to be the cost of erosion versus the benefits to the district, he said.
The road was a bypass for State Highway 1 during flooding or a major crash and was used by a large number of tourists because of its scenery.
Although there had been many engineering reports, Mr Amyes said there had been no assessment of the benefits of retaining the road.
''It is completely mystifying on what the council bases its assessment [that] the costs outweigh the benefits when they have not made any assessment of what the benefits actually are.''
The council had also said New Zealand Transport Agency funding might not be available, but the agency had said it could be if criteria were met.
The cost of upgrading McLeans and Bowalley Rds, if sections of the coast road were closed, was ''in about the same order'' as erosion control, not even taking into account the safety aspects of shingle roads, Mr Amyes said.
