The Transport Agency disagrees that it has made no attempt to meet with mayors to discuss the slip-prone Waioeka Gorge.
The mayor of Gisborne, along with one of the major trucking operators in and out of the city, and the region, are calling for State Highway 2 through Waioeka Gorge to be made more secure.
Mayor Meng Foon told Checkpoint he and other regional mayors were waiting for solutions from NZTA as they seek to make the main road between Gisborne and the north of the country - including Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga - less vulnerable to slips.
The gorge was closed as a result of a large slip in the weekend. The detour adds two hours to what is usually a three hour journey.
It was previously closed for a month in 2012 and millions of dollars were spent on the clean-up and on slip-proofing to keep it open.
Heavy rainfall, river flooding, steep hillsides, thick bush, and a winding and very narrow road in parts, make the risk of slips a fact of life.
Mr Meng said the road must be protected from them.
He said he and the mayors of Napier, Wairoa and Ōpōtiki had been trying to meet the Transport Agency for years but there hasn't been a single meeting.
The Transport Agency disagreed, however, with regional relationships manager Parekawhia McLean saying they had been working with local government to stabilise the road.
