SH2 Waihī to Ōmokoroa update

Works at Morton Rd roundabout, and others, will soon be finished.

The beginning of 2023 has bought its fair share of bad weather which has meant construction along SH2 between Waihī and Ōmokoroa has been slower than expected this summer.

Our crews are working exceptionally hard, not only to stick to the programme, but to also to make highways safe again after large weather events.

Planned road works and construction has been challenging around the region with resources diverted to the urgent jobs of clearing roads and reinstating vital lifelines, such as SH25 in the Coromandel and SH29 over the Kaimai Range, following the Auckland Anniversary weekend floods and Cyclone Gabrielle.

We recognise that these weather events have a huge toll, not only on those directly affected, but on all New Zealanders’ wellbeing. We also understand that delays can be frustrating, and we thank everyone for their patience through this time.

While the warmer months are usually when most construction work is done, for SH2 crews November was the wettest on record, and there were just eight working days in December and January without rain. So, when we have had small windows of good weather, we’ve had to take advantage of them.

At times this has meant extended working hours, construction taking place over long sections of the site, speed restrictions and other traffic management in places you might not be used to seeing it. These changes are communicated as far in advance as possible using our on-site VMS boards, social media, and traffic bulletins, but changeable weather, we’ve had to change these quickly, and often last minute.

The summer season also brought with it some sad news, with a fatal crash on the corridor. Every loss of life is a tragedy with far-reaching impact on whānau, the community and everyone involved. The safety measures we’re installing as part of this project will play a major part in preventing further fatalities and serious injuries.

This is a vital safety upgrade project for the region, and your patience, understanding and tolerance is sincerely appreciated by the project team. These safety improvements will save lives.

Looking ahead, the team will soon be finishing all works north of Katikati, Morton Rd roundabout and the Rea/Tetley Rd intersection. This is a significant milestone, and we look forward to marking these achievements with the community in early May when we will host open days in Katikati.

Look out for details closer to the time – we encourage you to come along, see our progress, understand what we have planned next with the installation of median barriers, and talk to the team.

- Rob Campbell is Waka Kotahi’s regional manager of maintenance and operations