Stretch of Napier-Taupō Rd ripped up within days of repair

New seal placed on a stretch of the Napier-Taupo Rd will have to be replaced less than a week after it was put down by NZTA. Photo / Supplied

A new set of road seal will need to be placed on a stretch of the Napier-Taupō Rd, near Tarawera, less than a week after it was put down by NZTA.

Waka Kotahi regional transport systems manager Oliver Postings said resealing works of the state highway network, including State Highway 5, had been completed as part of the organisation's road renewals programme.

Postings said the work was done in and around the summer months to align with warmer and drier weather.

"These are the conditions needed to help new seal stick to the road surface," he said.

"Unfortunately, after the new seal went down on SH5 at Tarawera Hill last week, it unexpectedly rained the following day, which meant the seal failed to stick."

Waka Kotahi said resealing works had been completed as part its road renewals programme. Photo / Supplied

NZTA crews arrived back at the site on Monday to begin fixing the issue. "We expect to have this work completed by the end of the week, depending on weather," Postings said.

Local truck driver Antony Alexander, a frequent driver of SH5, said the newly done seal was "ripped apart" within a day, but not all because of the rain.

"The way I looked at it was that they'd put too much material down," he said. "They've said they didn't expect the rain, but the damage was done before the rain came."

Alexander said even with clear 50km/h signage, most truck drivers didn't expect so much material to be laid on the road.

"You've got a 50-tonne truck going up the hill – if you get stuck, the wheels spin and you lose traction and then have to do a hill start which causes the damage," he said.

"Then the rain hit the next day which caused even more damage."

Alexander said while it was not a common occurrence, roadworks were having to be redone more frequently on SH5 in recent times.