Three weeks of new disruptions are scheduled on State Highway 2 between Napier and Wairoa as the rock stars of the Hawke’s Bay transport rebuild work at night to remove loose rock from cliff faces above the road.
The rock-scaling, which NZTA Waka Kotahi says is “critical”, starts on Sunday May 12 and will be from 8pm-5am each night at Devil’s Elbow and Waikoau Hill except Saturday nights, but Transport Rebuild East Coast (Trec) crews will be on-site until the end of June.
Traffic management will be in place, with delays of 15-25 minutes expected at each end, and motorists travelling between Wairoa and Napier are being advised to plan for delays while the work takes place overnight, but there will be access for emergency services.
Both sites were scaled for rocks following Cyclone Gabrielle last year and a subsequent assessment showed more loose-rock to be present.
Rock scaling crews will be onsite at Devil’s Elbow and Waikoau Hill from next week until the end of June. Photo / NZTA
Call for blankets as temperatures drop
Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd is supporting Hawke’s Bay charity Christian Lovelink by opening her doors to blanket donations heading into the colder months.
Wedd said Christian Lovelink was doing its bit to address poverty in the community and is encouraging the community to donate clean blankets to her office.
“The doors to our office are always open for our constituents, and for the blanket drive, we will be opening our doors for blanket donations. I hope to see dozens of warm blankets coming through our door.”
Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd is urging her constituents to donate blankets to Christian Lovelink as temperatures drop.
In Hastings, the Christian Lovelink team assist hundreds of families across the region. The charity gave out 1100 blankets last year and would like to be able to reach that number or, better yet, increase it this year.
People can drop the blankets off this week at the Tukituki Electorate office, 129 Queen St East, between 9am and 4pm.
Safety improvements for SH50 Hawke’s Bay
Motorists using State Highway 50 between Takapau and Ongaonga are likely to notice crews installing roadside safety barriers and rumble strips over the next few weeks.
Crews will be onsite near Ashley Clinton just south of Tukituki River Bridge from Thursday, preparing for the installation of the barrier. Around 200 metres of barrier will be installed on the southbound lane of the highway.
In addition, later this month, crews will install rumble strips on the stretch of SH50 from Ongaonga to Takapau.
While these works take place, there will be stop/go traffic management in place, and lower temporary speed limits between 30 km/h and 70km/h from 6am to 6pm.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said drivers can expect delays of up to 10 minutes as a result of the work.
