Bay of Plenty road with massive sinkhole expected to open tonight

The road where a sinkhole opened up on Wednesday afternoon is now partially open.

One lane of Oropi Rd between Cheyne Rd and Oropi Stream Bridge is open to traffic with a 24-hour stop/go system in place.

The detour is no longer required.

The sinkhole opened on Wednesday afternoon and the Tauranga City Council initially said it was caused by gradual erosion.

Drivers were urged to drive cautiously over the repaired section of the road.

In an update, the council said once testing was finished today, both lanes would temporarily re-open both lanes by this evening.

There will be a partial road closure in a few weeks to begin the permanent repair.