Hawke's Bay Airport's former main entrance, which was closed to traffic in 2018. Photo / Paul Taylor
Hawke's Bay Airport's former main entrance, which was closed to traffic in 2018. Photo / Paul Taylor
Hawke’s Bay Airport has plans to build a second entranceway for traffic which it says will make the transport hub more resilient to natural disasters.
If the project goes ahead, the new entranceway will be built at the northern end of the airport and connect on to State Highway 2.
Currently, the airport in Napier only has one access point for traffic, which is located to the south of the terminal off SH2.
The plans are in their infancy and no artist impressions have been prepared at this stage.
It is understood a new roundabout and entranceway would connect on to SH2 close to the Turfrey Rd intersection, which is located further north than the airport’s old entranceway, which was closed in 2018.
A lot of work still needs to go into planning and costing, but council papers suggested the project could cost around $2 million.
Hawke’s Bay Airport chief executive Rob Stratford said the airport played a critical role during the Cyclone Gabrielle response, but it became clear it was too reliant on one access point.
Where the new entranceway could be built (in red) under the proposal. Photo / Google Maps
“What became clear in the Cyclone Gabrielle response is that our ability to support in an emergency is entirely reliant on the single road access from State Highway 2 via Watchman Rd.
“Were Watchman Rd rendered impassable in any future event, our capacity to support the air transport elements of a regional emergency response could be severely compromised.
“That’s why we are proposing a second entrance to the north of the airport so that Hawke’s Bay Airport is capable of maintaining regional air access in an emergency and ground access is not reliant on a single point of entry and exit.”
The second access route would improve safety and would ideally have the capacity for accommodating heavy and military vehicles, Stratford said.
The airport’s roading layout went through a shake-up in 2018 when the main entrance was moved from its old site on the northern side of the airport to its current site to the south.
Hawke’s Bay Airport is owned by the Crown, Napier City Council and Hastings District Council.
