State Highway 4 is expected to be closed for six weeks from May 26 to July 4 to repair an underslip near Otoko. Photo / NZME
State Highway 4 is expected to be closed for six weeks from May 26 to July 4 to repair an underslip near Otoko. Photo / NZME
State Highway 4 Parapara between Whanganui and Raetihi is set to close for nearly six weeks for an underslip repair at Otoko which will reinstate that section of road to two lanes.
A detour is expected to add up to an hour to travel times.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) said the section of road between Whanganui River Rd and Alexandra Rd in Raetihi would be closed from 6.30am to 6pm on weekdays from May 26 to July 4. It would be open on weekends with stop/go traffic management.
Outside those hours, the road would be open with a 30km/h temporary speed limit through the work site.
The work is being done near Otoko, which has been reduced to one lane with stop/go management, with the flood-damaged road further affected by Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023.
“We appreciate and we’re grateful for people’s understanding while this work is carried out to repair and improve the resilience of this section of State Highway 4.”
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi will repair an underslip near Otoko and reinstate that section of State Highway 4 Parapara to two lanes. Photo / NZTA
Dawson said the daytime closure was required because of the single lane operating near the slip and the heavy machinery that would be used.
The crew would install a retaining wall before rebuilding the road level.
Road users will be detoured on to SH49 and SH1 during the closure hours, other than the local community and emergency services who will have managed access.
Dave Hoskin Transport manager Darrell Hoskin said his company, which sometimes used the highway, was likely to be impacted but he understood the reasoning.
“It’s got to be done because where it is it’s only going to get worse and we don’t want the road to be shut because of it,” Hoskin said.
”I’m totally on board with it. Yes, it is a bit of a pain but that’s reality - you have to take a step forward to get a step closer."
Access will be available through the closure points for schools, business owners and emergency services from 6.30am-9am and 2.30am-6pm.
Only emergency services will have access to the road from 9am-2.30pm.
“We’re hopeful that by ensuring access during the closure at various times for local community and others, we can minimise as much disruption as possible,” Dawson said.
