Heavy maintenance work on the Saddle Rd will still go ahead today in spite of the severe weather the Hawke's Bay region experienced yesterday.
Earlier this week the New Zealand Transport Agency announced that maintenance work "dependent on the weather" would begin on the Saddle Rd to ensure it could cope with the increased traffic volumes it had experienced since the gorge closed in April.
Yesterday afternoon NZTA said the repair work was still "set to go ahead" and, while the weather could change overnight, they were ready to begin working this morning.
New Zealand Transport Agency regional transport system manager Ross I'Anson said maintenance work announced for the Saddle Rd on Thursday wasn't a result of the NZTA shifting their resources away from the Manawatu Gorge.
"The NZ Transport Agency has taken over the management and maintenance of Saddle Rd from Tararua District Council as - for the time being - it is the main route between the Manawatu and Hawke's Bay, and we need to maintain it to keep it in the best shape possible while it is coping with the extra traffic."