State Highway 5 crash: Lane blocked after truck and vehicle crash on Napier-Taupō

The Napier-Taupō road, State Highway 5, is down to one lane after a crash and a previous overnight closure. Photo / NZME

A section of the Napier-Taupō Rd was down to one lane on Tuesday morning due to a crash just hours after it had reopened from a planned overnight closure.

Police confirmed a truck and car crash was reported just before 9am near the intersection of State Highway 5 and Beattie Rd, just outside Eskdale.

The truck was blocking one lane, and traffic control was in place. However, a police spokesperson said it could take hours to clear, and people were advised to plan ahead when travelling.

The road between Napier and Taupō had earlier reopened at 5am on Tuesday after an overnight closure by NZTA for asphalting and line-marking.

The closure meant delays in delivery of a few hours for all subscribers of Hawke’s Bay Today.

On Tuesday night, also from 8pm-5am, there is set to be 40-minute stops on SH5 at Waione Bridge (south of Tarawera). At least seven other sites on the highway have traffic disruptions while Transport Rebuild East Coast (TREC) makes safety improvements and repairs.