First SH35 closure at Rotokautuku delayed two weeks

The first temporary closure of the Rotokautuku Bridge near Ruatōria has been delayed two weeks to October 7.

The first planned closure of State Highway 35 at Rotokautuku Bridge near Ruatōria has been delayed and did not take place on Monday as originally scheduled.

An NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi spokesman said the first date for work at the bridge would be Monday, October 7, between midday and 12.30pm.

During the closure, the highway will be closed in both directions between Bridge Rd and Thatcher Rd.

“While the bridge remains structurally sound, repairs to the bearings and cross bracing are needed to restore the damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle and to improve its strength,” the spokesman said.

Transport Rebuild East Coast (Trec) crews, on behalf of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), will be raising the bridge by a few millimetres to carry out this work.

“A further three 30-minute bridge closures are required in late October and November, with the dates and times to be communicated in the next few weeks.”

No viable detours will available and NZTA reminds road users on this stretch of SH35 to plan for the delays.

SH2 road works at Kotemaori next week

Work to complete the new slow-vehicle bay on State Highway 2 at Kotemaori in northern Hawke’s Bay will start next week.

The new 260-metre slow-vehicle bay on SH2, near the intersection with Kakariki Farm Rd, will provide another place for road users to safely pass slow vehicles as they head north to Wairoa.

A statement from NZTA said crews had been waiting for warmer weather to complete the work, which included laying the final seal on the road.

The work was expected to take two weeks and crews would begin on site from Monday, September 30.

”During this time, temporary traffic management will be in place through this site with stop/go and a temporary reduced speed limit of 30km/h,” an NZTA spokesman said.

”Delays of no more than 10 minutes are expected. Once crews have finished this work, the slow vehicle bay will be operational.

”The work is weather dependent and there could be delays if conditions are too cold or wet.”