State Highway 29 over the Kaimāī Range to close for five nights for urgent roadworks

SH29 over the Kaimāī Range will be closed overnight between November 30 and December 4 for urgent roadworks.

State Highway 29 over the Kaimāī Range, between the Bay of Plenty and Waikato, will be closed for five nights.

The closures, between 7.30pm and 4am from November 30 to December 4, are for urgent scaling works on the road, according to the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA).

Abseilers would be working above the road on the Ruahihi Bluffs, near the Ruahihi Power Station, to dislodge vegetation and rocks from the top and faces of the bluffs.

NZTA said it would also be “taking advantage” of the closures to do other works.

This included structural asphalt rehabilitation, chipseal resurfacing, localised drainage works, road marking and surface repairs at numerous sites along the highway.

NZTA system manager Sandra King said the full closures allowed the agency to complete the work safely and efficiently, benefiting road worker crews and road users.

About 14,000 vehicles used the road daily, and maintaining it was essential for safety and accessibility.

“We’ve worked closely with freight operators and roading contractors to co-ordinate the best possible schedule for these closures,” King said.

The schedule would allow road users, including freight operators, to plan to minimise disruptions to themselves and their customers.

Residents would be able to access their properties, but within the closure period, SH29 would be fully closed at Ruahihi and at other sites, King said.

These sites would open on the hour every hour each night to allow residents through.

The detours for this closure would add considerable time to journeys, so motorists were advised to make plans.

Alternative routes include:

• North: SH2 via Karangahake Gorge, SH24, SH27, SH26;
• South: all vehicles: SH5, SH30, SH33, SH2 via Rotorua;
• South: light vehicles: SH5, SH36 via Rotorua;
• SH28 will be closed at the Harwood Rd/ SH5 intersection during this time.

Between now and May, five sites on the Bay of Plenty side of the Kaimāī Range would be rebuilt and resurfaced, and one on the Waikato side, NZTA said.

Because of the number of worksites on SH29, motorists are advised to allow up to 20 minutes extra time for travel.