Truck rolls at Hemo Rd roundabout in Rotorua. Video / Ben Fraser
The roading authority in charge of the Hemo Gorge Roundabout says it meets safety and engineering standards, despite three large trucks rolling there in recent years.
Equipment was used to remove the rolled truck at the State Highway 5 and State Highway 30 intersection this morning.
Police responded to thecrash around 6am.
Scene of the truck roll at Hemo Rd roundabout this morning. Photo / Andrew Warner
The Old Taupo Rd southbound lane was closed and both lanes were blocked while work was done to remove the truck.
On the Rotorua Daily Post’s Facebook page, several readers commented on the design of the roundabout, suggesting the road’s camber could be to blame.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency regional manager of maintenance and operations Rob Campbell said it would work with police while the cause of the crash was being investigated.
For this reason, the agency would not comment on the potential cause of the crash “but if the investigation suggests the underlying cause is a system design, we will address that”.
Campbell said before the roundabout opened in mid-2017, its design and construction went under safety audits and met engineering standards. This included the camber on the roundabout, he said.
“Since then there has been an incredibly high number - nearly a million trucks and heavy vehicles - through the roundabout, with just three accidents involving trucks.”
A cyclist rides through the Hemo Rd tunnel as a rolled truck lies above this morning. Photo / Andrew Warner
Campbell said the area was included in a broader speed limit review, aimed at reducing harm if an accident was to happen.
On October 3, last year, a speed limit of 50km/h was put in place from 70m north of Malfroy Rd to 258m southwest of the roundabout.
On July 11, 2020, another logging truck rolled on the roundabout.
Each of the three incidents resulted in damage to the roundabout but no one was seriously injured.
UPDATE 7:30AM We can now confirm that #SH5 (Old Taupo Rd) has southbound lanes blocked just prior to SH30/5 (Hemo Rd) roundabout. Please expect diversions and delays in the area. SH30 (Hemo Rd) remains open currently. ^TP https://t.co/b1rVGqjufq
