State Highway 5 is now open 24 / 7. The state of the road last week while it was open from 7am to 7pm. Photo / NZTA
State Highway 5 is now open 24 / 7. The state of the road last week while it was open from 7am to 7pm. Photo / NZTA
The full reopening of State Highway 5 has been confirmed by Waka Kotahi.
A post on the Waka Kotahi Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne Facebook page confirmed the decision to reopen the key route between Napier and Taupō.
The road was opened to traffic between 7am and 7pm last week whilework continued on 32 cyclone-damaged sites.
Waka Kotahi’s Central North Island regional manager of maintenance and operations, Jaclyn Hankin said contractors have got the road to the point where it can safely be opened at night.
The decision to reopen the highway was made earlier on Monday after Waka Kotahi drove the road overnight Sunday.
“While the daytime opening has alleviated a lot of pressure, we know how important it is, especially for the freight community, to be able to drive the road at night,” Hankin said.
“Our contractors have done an amazing job, to firstly get a bypass built around the slip between Te Pohue and Glengarry, and to continue strengthening other sites.”
Hankin said that while the road was safe to drive, there were still several damaged sites along the route and motorists should prepare for lower speeds and delays in several places. Photo / NZTA
She said that while the road was safe to drive, there were still several damaged sites along the route and motorists should prepare for lower speeds and delays in several places.
“It has been a tremendous effort to get this road ready for around-the-clock access, less than a month and a half after such a damaging cyclone, and Waka Kotahi would like to thank everyone who’s worked on the road,” she said.
“We’re also incredibly grateful for the patience and resilience of the communities alongside SH5 – we know this has been a disruptive time and we hope re-opening the road 24/7 will further strengthen the connection to essential services and supplies, schools, work and friends and whānau.”
State Highway 5 near Te Haroto will be closed from 11am to midday on Tuesday to allow 4500 sheep to be moved along the road to Tarawera Station.
The closure will be managed under temporary traffic management and stop/go control.
A Waka Kotahi spokesman said that while there limited access had opened on State Highway 2 between Napier and Wairoa for residents and essential services, the road was not likely to reopen to the public for some time.
The spokesman said work was due to begin on some bailey bridges along the road in the next two days.
