Road closure: SH1 closed south of Taupō for truck removal

State Highway 1 south of Taupō will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday this week while a truck wreck is emptied of its cargo by hand.

The truck and trailer crashed on September 26 leaving it in a perilous position above the lake at notorious troublespot Te Pōporo - Bulli Pt.

A Waka Kotahi NZTA spokesperson confirmed the truck was successfully removed on September 26 but the trailer “couldn’t be safely retrieved without the risk of its 27-tonne load of frozen goods ending up in the lake.

“On Tuesday, October 3 there will be a full closure of SH1 between Taupō and Turangi to offload the cargo by hand, from 8.30am-4pm, and again on October 4, to remove the trailer, from 8.30am-4pm. Motorists need to use SH32 on the western side of the lake, which extends the usual distance from Taupō to Tūrangi, from 50km to 103km.

“The trailer is sitting on a steep bank and is not easily accessible. A crane is needed to anchor the trailer so the salvage crew can safely move the goods.

“Unfortunately the highway is too narrow here to enable vehicles (including emergency services) to pass the cranes,” the spokesperson said.

“No contaminants from the truck has made its way to water.”

The detour for northbound traffic is to turn left onto State Highway 41 at Tūrangi, then right onto State Highway 32 along the western side of the lake and turn right onto Marotiri Road, turn right again on Poihipi Road, left onto Oranui Road and right onto Link Road to return to SH1 north of Taupō. Southbound traffic will take the same route but in reverse.

Road users should expect some delays past the existing slip site on SH41, which will be changed from traffic signals to manual stop/go traffic control to minimise the disruption.

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