Major repairs given green light on troubled Napier-Taihape Rd

Napier-Taihape Rd was extensively damaged during Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / NZME

Work will begin next month to repair 11 major slips along the Napier-Taihape Rd caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Hastings District Council says it will be fully funded by the Government.

The 115km road is the main alternative to the State Highway 5 Napier-Taupō Rd and weaves over the Kaweka mountain range.

The road crosses two districts so is owned and managed by two councils - Hastings and Rangitikei.

That road was re-opened six weeks after the cyclone after debris was cleared and urgent maintenance carried out.

A contract package to repair the slips along the route has now been awarded to TW Civil and Infrastructure Group.

“While there is still a long way to go and our roading network is still fragile, this project signals the start of our getting on with the real recovery work, beyond the maintenance work we have been undertaking since the cyclone,” Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said.

“We acknowledge the central Government funding that is allowing us to get on with this [work].”

The repairs will take about 18 months.

Damage to Napier-Taihape Rd following the cyclone. Photo / Supplied

Motorist George Luke, 65, became trapped for three nights in an isolated part of the road during the cyclone and later died in hospital.

Luke’s partner, who managed to walk out of the slip-ridden road and get help during the ordeal, has called for NZTA Waka Kotahi to take ownership of the road as a state highway.

She believed that would result in a simpler process for timely road closures.

The Hastings and Rangitikei mayors have both voiced their support for it becoming a state highway.

One of the major slips along Napier-Taihape Rd. Photo / NZTA

Funding breakdown

The Government has confirmed a breakdown of its $609 million package for state highway repair projects, announced in the Budget at the end of May.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown said $250m would go to the East Coast to support cyclone repairs, and state highway repairs in Hawke’s Bay should be completed by late next year.

That includes ongoing recovery projects along SH5 and SH2.

“In addition to the state highway recovery funding, the coalition Government is investing $50m in local road response to enable Gisborne District Council and Hastings District Council to continue critical response work across their districts,” Brown said.