State Highway 35 under traffic management due to cracking

State Highway 35 will be under stop/go traffic management 2.5km west of the Motu River Bridge until further notice. Photo / NZME

Ongoing road movement due to recent bad weather has reduced part of a Bay of Plenty highway down to one lane.

State Highway 35 will be under stop/go traffic management 2.5km west of the Motu River Bridge until further notice, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said today.

Cracking has been noted along the eastbound lane and the decision was made to reduce the affected area down to a single lane following an engineer's assessment.

If the cracking develops further, the road may need to be closed at short notice, Waka Kotahi said.

All overweight and over-dimension vehicles are unable to use this route until further notice with all permits for SH35 between Ōpōtiki and Gisborne suspended.

With rain forecast to continue over the next week, the site will be assessed for repair once the road movement ceases and the weather is more favourable.

Bay of Plenty's roading network has been hit hard by the recent severe weather with slips, dropouts and flooding in a number of locations.

With more wet weather forecast, crews are closely monitoring the network to ensure the safety of all road users.

People are encouraged to take extra care, watch for hazards on the road, adjust their speed for the environment, and plan for delays to their journeys. People are advised to refrain from unnecessary travel.

Waka Kotahi thanked everyone for their patience and said it would provide further updates over the coming days.