Waka Kotahi: Bay View highway work 'falls short of what we expect'

Roadworks on State Highway 2 south of Bay View earlier this year. Government agency Waka Kotahi NZTA now says it's not up to standard and remedial work is needed. Photo / Warren Buckland

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has conceded recent State Highway 2 rebuilding north of Napier hasn't come up to scratch and needs to be rectified, but it may have to wait until summer.

The admission follows complaints which were aired publicly on social media this week, relating to the work on a sector from Onehunga Rd (at Petane Domain) to Rogers Rd, between Hawke's Bay Airport and Bay View.

One comment online on Wednesday said that less than a month after "completing" the surface rebuild "cones" were out for a patch-up job.

NZTA Central North Island regional maintenance and operations manager Jaclyn Hankin said the work undertaken since January included rebuilding the road base, sealing the surface and line marking, and issues were picked up through Waka Kotahi inspections. However, we have also received complaints from the public," she said.

"Contractors were on Friday completing sweeping of the site and other finishing works, before returning to undertake the remedial works later this year."

She apologised to local residents and those who travel through Bay View regularly, saying:
"While we acknowledge the difficulties caused by an unseasonably wet construction season, the impacts of Covid-19 on staffing, high traffic volumes with no alternative routes, and the need to maintain traffic in both directions on a busy section of state highway.

"Both Waka Kotahi and our contractor for the works, Higgins, agree the finished quality of the work falls short of what we expect and will need to be rectified, at the contractor's cost.

"Unfortunately, as this remedial work requires warm, dry weather, it will need to wait until our next spring/summer construction season later this year."

She said contractors will continue to monitor the road over winter and it is likely that further temporary repairs will be needed to help ensure the safety of the road until the permanent repair work can be undertaken during the warmer, drier spring and summer months.

"Water does to roads what sugar does to your teeth – it causes our road surfaces to decay and potholes to form," Hankin said. "When water penetrates the road surface through cracks, tyre action and weather can quickly turn these cracks into potholes.

"New Zealand's roads are mostly 'flexible pavements', they literally flex as heavy vehicles roll over them," she said, adding that any water in the pavements acts as a lubricant, allowing the stones in the pavement to move more than they should and potholes then form more quickly.

"We will be working with the contractors closely next construction season to ensure this work is completed as a priority and to the required standard," she said.

"This will also incorporate a range of quality assurance testing, including vibration tests to ensure the repair has not resulted in an increase in vibrations caused by traffic for surrounding properties, which was a concern raised by nearby residents prior to the works starting.

"We know local residents and people who travel through the area regularly will be frustrated and upset, but we also know they want – and deserve – a safe, fit-for-purpose road. We are 100 per cent committed to ensuring this is what they get and have demonstrated we won't accept anything less."

Hawke's Bay Regional Transport Committee chairman Martin Williams said it was very disappointing for motorists, many of whom on the same trip had put up with issues on State Highway 5 to Taupo, leading to a 20 per cent lowering of the speed limit for half the journey.

"They have patiently had to put up with now many months, even years, of delays as road improvement works on the stretch of SH2 from Napier to Bay View have rolled out, " he said. "Now they have to deal with this section being done all over again next spring/summer."

"On the other hand," he said, "I can understand the difficult construction season just past (an extremely wet autumn for Hawkes Bay), and support Waka Kotahi and the contractor taking steps to remedy the situation."