Motorists counting sheep crossing State Highway 5

About 4000 ewes were moved across State Highway 5 on Wednesday morning. Another stock movement is required, and Waka Kotahi NZTA is working to ensure that future movements are well-publicised. Photo / Waka Kotahi NZTA

Motorists along State Highway 5 were left counting sheep making a crossing near Mohaka Bridge on Wednesday morning.

Roading contractors supervised the crossing of about 4000 ewes over State Highway 5 around 11am.

A Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency spokesman said they were advised at short notice by their contractor of the need for the stock to be moved.

“Due to the short notice, we were not able to advise motorists of the closure, which would have been our usual practice,” the spokesman said.

“We understand another stock movement is required and we will be working closely with the farmers and our contractor to ensure that any future movements are well-planned and publicised.”

The spokesman said Waka Kotahi was pleased to have State Highway 5 open to the general public during daylight hours again.

“We realise any delays to road users during the recovery phase are frustrating. We really appreciate road users’ patience and understanding as the region gets going again after the cyclone.”

Outside of the state highways, Waka Kotahi announced a $35.9 million funding package on Wednesday to kick-start the repair of Central Hawke’s Bay’s roading network.

Central Hawke’s Bay Mayor Alex Walker said the announcement was welcome news as recovery planning for the district begins after Cyclone Gabrielle, with a focus on re-establishing access to as many routes as possible.

“This week, we were pleased to reconnect our last isolated community with the opening of a temporary crossing at Douglas Cutting Bridge to Wakarara residents,” she said.

“While this is a fantastic milestone and there has been an incredible amount of work to get us to this point, we cannot underestimate the extent of the damage and the task ahead.”

Ten roads and eight bridges remain closed in Central Hawke’s Bay.

Many roads require major repairs before restrictions can be lifted, 12 bridges underwent significant repairs to become passable and 69 bridges need more work to restore them to pre-cyclone condition.

Walker said the funding would be used to ensure temporary access for all communities is secure and to build resilience in the roading network ahead of winter.

“This will involve revisiting and bolstering temporary repairs, retaining large slips and increasing weight limits for key roads and bridges,”

She said the work will be complete in June, but Central Hawke’s Bay would still need major investment in the roading network.

“Initial estimates to repair damage from Cyclone Gabrielle suggest we need around $100m in total - around $65m on top of the funding we have just received. This does not include existing damage to the roads from 2022, which will cost around $50m to repair,” she said.

She said the district would not be able to shoulder the costs alone and there would be years of work ahead.

“We thank the community for their ongoing patience and support. We will need to work across all levels of community and government to ensure we have a roading network that supports our region to thrive once again.”