A section of the Napier-Taupo highway late this morning remained closed to traffic more than 6 hours after a truck and trailer crashed and blocked the road.
No injuries were reported in what police said was a single-vehicle crash. It happened about 24km northwest of Napier, between the State Highway 5 intersections with Hill Rd, near Eskdale, and Glengarry Rd, southeast of Te Pohue. It was reported to emergency services at 4.35am.
The stretch of road was closed between the 2 intersections and light vehicles were able to still travel between Napier and Taupo, detoured through Seafield and Glengarry roads. Operators of heavy transport vehicles were being advised to take other routes.
About 11am, two mobile cranes were at the scene, where the truck and trailer, operated by nationwide carrier Toll, remained still straddling the northbound and southbound lanes, with freight also strewn across the highway.
It was at least the third highways truck crash in Hawke's Bay in just over 7 days.
A driver of a stopped truck was killed when hit by another truck between Tikokino and Maraekakaho on Hawke's Bay secondary route State Highway 50 early on the night of June 11, and a truck and trailer overturned, but without significant injury, on the Napier-Awatoto coastline section of State Highway 51 early last Tuesday afternoon.