Care on roads needed as major resealing program begins

Motorists are urged to take care on the roads and allow extra time when travelling in the Western Bay of Plenty during March as a major road reseal program gets underway.

The NZ Transport Agency's Bay of Plenty journey manager Nigel D'Ath said the reseal program will begin on March 4 and will wind up in late March.

"For most people summer is a time to get outdoors, head to the beach and have fun but it's also a time when our contractors are busy repairing road surfaces and carrying out important safety improvements," he said.

"Summer is the best time to reseal our roads as warmer temperatures and dry air helps new seal to stick to the road surface.

"We try to minimise the impacts of the work but people can expect short delays due to speed restrictions and stop/ go traffic control. Our contractors will do their utmost to minimise the delays.

"We hope the travelling public understand the importance of these works and we thank them for their patience."

Mr D'Ath said it was critical that motorists slow down and kept to the speed limit through work sites.

"Resealing and reconstruction work involves heavy machinery, loose metal, hot bitumen and a lot of workers, often on foot - that's why speed restrictions are needed.

"So speeding through the sites can be dangerous for our road workers and other motorists, as well as causing damage to the work.

"We specially ask motorists to obey the speed restrictions where sealing work is underway or just completed. This not only helps to settle in the new surface but will prevent stone chips from flying up onto passing vehicle windscreens."

The work starts on March 4 in the Western Bay of Plenty, with two sites being resealed on State Highway 33 (SH33) between Paeangaroa and Rotorua and later in the week there are five sites on SH2 between Te Puke and Whakatane.

In total there will be over 30 sites resealed during the three week long program, which is weather dependent.

Week starting 4/3/15
· Motorists travelling on SH33 between Paengaroa RAB to Rotorua may experience delays due to two reseal sites near Paengaroa.

· Motorists travelling on SH2 between Tauranga and Whakatane are likely to experience delays, with up to five reseal sites in place, between the Pukehina turnoff and Otamarakau.

· Motorists travelling on SH2 between Tauranga and Te Puke are likely to experience moderate delays, with one reseal site north of Te Puke at the Kopuroa Canal Bridge occurring on Sunday 8 March 2015.


Week starting 9/3/15
· Motorists travelling on SH36 between Tauranga and Rotorua may experience moderate delays, with approximately three reseal sites near Taumata Rd

· Motorists travelling on SH2 between Tauranga and Waihi are likely to experience moderate delays, with approximately eleven reseal sites between Te Puna Township and the Athanree Gorge including two sites near Munro Rd to be sealed on Sunday March 15.


Week starting 16/3/15
· Motorists travelling on SH29 between Tauranga and the Kaimai Summit may experience moderate delays, with approximately seven reseal sites between the Ruahihi River Bridge to the Kaimai Summit

· Motorists travelling on SH36 between Tauranga and Rotorua may experience minor delays, with one reseal site in the vicinity of Taumata Rd South


For real time information on highway conditions and incidents visit www.nzta.govt.nz call 0800 4 HIGHWAYS or follow @nztawaibop on twitter.

For personalised information about driving conditions on their frequently used routes, motorists can check out and sign up to On The Move at www.onthemove.govt.nz.