Project to seal Forgotten World Highway’s Tāngarākau Gorge resumes on October 9

Traffic will be stopped at the intersections of Moki Rd and Heao Rd so vehicles can turn around before they reach the road closure.

People travelling the Forgotten World Highway (State Highway 43) this summer are asked to plan ahead to avoid delays as work to seal the Tāngarākau Gorge gets back under way.

The project, which began last summer, will result in the unsealed 12km section of the Forgotten World Highway being chip-sealed, making the road safer and more accessible for locals and visitors wanting to experience the backcountry journey. The highway runs between Stratford and Taumarunui.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency project manager Sree Nutulapati said road closures within the Tāngarākau Gorge would be required while the work was happening.

“This is due to the constrained environment through the gorge and the heavy machinery required to complete the work,” Nutulapati said.

From Monday, October 9, through to Friday, October 13, crews will be on site from 8am until 5pm and motorists should plan for delays of up to one hour when travelling through the gorge. Traffic queues will be cleared every hour throughout the day, starting from 9am.

From October 16 until mid-December daily road closures will be placed through the gorge Monday to Friday between 9am and noon, and 1pm and 3pm.

The road will be open at midday so people can travel through.

When the road closures are in place any through traffic will be stopped at the intersections of Moki Rd and Heao Rd so vehicles can turn around before they reach the road closure.

Residents will be permitted up to the road closure points at all times and emergency services will be allowed through the road closure when required.

“We acknowledge that these road closures will be disruptive,” Nutulapati said.

“Closing the road means we can complete the bulk of the work prior to Christmas and be on track to complete the project in full by December 2024.”

He said if the work were to be carried out under stop/go only, the expected project completion date would be pushed out by six months to June 2025.

“We will also take the opportunity to do other works in the gorge during the road closures including repairing dropouts and building retaining walls.

“The retaining walls will achieve two lanes through the gorge and improve the resilience of the road.”

The sealing work is funded through Kānoa – Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit and is part of a programme of improvements to the highway.