Weekday closures planned in section of Waioeka Gorge for resealing work

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Daily closures will be in place for a section of the Waioeka Gorge to allow critical road resealing to take place from next Wednesday.

When work starts, the road will be closed from Waioeka Pa Road to Matawai between 7am and 5pm each weekday for eight days.

During the day there will be three opening periods of 20 minutes each — at 9am, 12pm and 2pm.

“Road width through the gorge is narrow, and the confined space makes it challenging to allow road users past the machinery required to reseal roads,” a Waka Kotahi NZTA spokeswoman said. “Safety of road users and road workers is a core value for Waka Kotahi and Higgins, the road maintenance contractor undertaking the work.

“Significant planning has taken place to find the best time and method for completing the work while allowing traffic to travel through the gorge.

“The decision was made to allow time following the 143rd Poverty Bay A&P Show this weekend for vehicles returning home with animals to make their way unimpeded.

“At the same time, contractors working on the Gisborne side of SH2 are taking a break from foam bitumen stabilisation work over the second half of October, minimising overall disruption for journeys south of Ōpōtiki.

“Should there be a significant period of poor weather, the closures may be postponed.

“Road users are advised to check the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner (journeys.nzta.govt.nz) on the day of travel to confirm the availability of SH2 and the surrounding state highway network.

“Following the closures there will be several days of resealing completed at sections with more width.

“This will be completed under stop/go traffic management with temporary speed limits. Overall, almost 20 lane kilometres will be resealed across 24 sites.

“All chipseal sites require time to allow the new seal to bed into the existing road surface.

During this time the road will be unmarked with a temporary speed limit, and cones delineating the newly sealed area.

Road users are asked to adhere to any signage, temporary speed limits and instructions from crew members.

“Waka Kotahi acknowledges that this work will be disruptive, however, in this instance, closing the road is the only way to undertake the work safely.”