Te Haroto residents living near the washout on McVicar Rd in Te Haroto now have temporary access and will have permanent access by tonight.
The temporary access for 4-wheel drive vehicles was in by 5pm last night, and single land permanent access is expected to be in place by late this afternoon.
Full two lane access will not be completed until the Napier-Taupo Rd opens, which will allow culvert pipes to be trucked in. Hastings District Council staff are hoping the full job can be completed by about midday on Friday.
This morning NZTA still has the Napier-Taupo Rd closed, and says it will reassess the situation at 10am.
Drivers using the road from Napier north to Wairoa and Gisborne are being asked to take extreme care.