TREC Hawke's Bay recovery update

23 January 2025

Tēnā koe,

Happy new year! We hope you had a relaxing break. 

In this update, we share our new online interactive map so you can see what sites we’re working on, highlight some recently completed projects, and showcase rail work that is kicking off this year.

Busy summer programme

TREC is back in full swing delivering a busy recovery programme this summer alongside local contractors. We’re looking forward to completing more projects and getting Hawke’s Bay state highways fully back to two lanes to support more efficient travel, and safer more resilient roads.

Many sites on State Highway 2 (SH2), State Highway 51 (SH51) and State Highway 5 (SH5) are live or will go live in coming weeks. With NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) summer roadworks crews also delivering a large summer programme, the roads will be busy. 

There will be stop / go traffic management and temporary lower speed limits in places so please allow for extra time to get to your destination and visit the NZTA Journey Planner for live traffic information.

Thank you for your patience and support while this important recovery and maintenance mahi along the highways is underway.

Mapping the rail journey

Rail recovery works, being undertaken by TREC on behalf of KiwiRail, are kicking into gear with two projects starting construction this month, and six or more starting in February.

The sites are typical of Cyclone Gabrielle damage where water and high winds caused scour around bridge piers and embankments, culvert damage, and washouts above and below the rail line that need to be stabilised.

There are 23 projects to be reinstated between Napier and Palmerston North. The first, in Ashhurst, was completed before Christmas. Of all the sites only one will impact road users. This is at Pakipaki and the impact will be low. 

Some of the sites will be repaired using specialist equipment known as hi-rail vehicles. These are hybrid machines that can operate on road and rail. The vehicles drive to the nearest road rail crossing, join the rail line at that point and continue to drive on the rail line to the site.

The rail line remains open with freight services running. We expect these 23 projects to be completed by mid-2025.

Last four projects at Devil’s Elbow

Work on the lower section was complete in time for Christmas, which included returning back to the posted speed limit. This section includes projects D, K, O, F, P, G and L.

TREC is now working in the upper section with projects R, H, I and J in construction.

Site I (Devil’s Corner) - update

Site I is the most complex recovery project in the Devil’s Elbow section (see map above). Following Cyclone Gabrielle a 40m long and 10m high slip closed the southbound lane.

Drivers will be able to see from the road some of the progress being made on the ‘enabling works’ as we get ready to rebuild two lanes of this road. Around 2,000m3 of material has been excavated and 400 soil nails have been drilled into the wall below the road to stabilise this section ahead of the main piling works.

The excavation is currently 8m below the road level with another 4m to go until we reach the bedrock that will be supporting the retaining wall. There is another 1,000m3 to be removed and 200 soil nails to be installed.

Local Kaitiaki have been monitoring the removal and placement of the excavated soil, in case items of interest or significance are uncovered.

The enabling works are nearly two thirds complete and are scheduled for completion by the end of February, with the main piling works scheduled to begin in early March.

Great progress is being made excavating material ahead of the main piling works.

SH5 Dillon’s Hill Culvert

Before Christmas crews finished the repair work which stabilised the bank slopes to protect the twin culvert bank.

New retaining walls above the culvert restored this section of the state highway, providing crucial support and protection for the road surface.

SH2 Tangoio Falls Reserve

Tangoio Falls Reserve underslip repairs are expected to finish next week. The team is currently tightening the bolt heads on the soil anchors which were drilled into the steep hillside below the road to help stabilise it.

This site is scheduled to be back to two lanes by the end of January.

SH2 White Pine Bush Slip

Work to repair an underslip below the road is now complete with soil nailing and concreting being the final steps. The road is back to two lanes.

Follow TREC progress on new online map

TREC and local contractors continue to make solid progress towards completing Cyclone Gabrielle recovery work on state highways and rail in Hawke’s Bay. Construction is now complete on almost 70% of the projects in the region (faults we have fixed).

Keen to see what’s happening and where? Why not check out our new interactive online map which shows where TREC is working, what work is complete, and what’s coming up next.

The map is updated fortnightly to keep up with progress.

Site snapshot

SH2 Hawke’s Bay North

• Slip repair work near Mohaka is nearing completion with the drainage work completed in December. The site will be disestablished in the next couple of weeks after final details are completed.
• Slip stabilisation at Sandy Creek (about 1km north of Tūtira Primary school) is starting next week.
• The road surface where we installed the sheetpiling retaining wall at Sandy Creek will be renewed alongside some road surface renewals NZTA is doing as part of their annual maintenance programme. These will be done together in the next couple of months.

SH5 Napier to Taupō

• The site of the three underslip repairs at Māori Gully is being prepared for construction (in March) by clearing the site of debris.
• Tarawera Culvert repairs will begin mid-year.

SH2, SH50, SH51 Hawke’s Bay South

• SH50 Ashcott Bridge repairs were completed in December.
• SH50 Glencoe Gorge underslip repairs are planned to start in February.
• SH51 Tutaekuri Bridge repairs are planned to start in May.

Rail repairs

• We completed our first site at Ashhurst before Christmas.
• Since the New Year we have started two sites between Woodville and Ormondville.
• We expect to begin six or more sites in February.

Road closures

• NZTA is underway with night closures on State Highway 2 between Ohinepaaka Stream and Waihua River Bridges, south of Wairoa. Tuesday night was postponed due to the weather and the closures were rescheduled for Wednesday 22, Thursday 23 and Friday 24 January, 8pm to 5am each night. Stay up to date with Facebook and the traffic bulletin.
   
• Also starting this week are closures for regular maintenance on SH50 near Taradale and SH2 HB Expressway.

Whakapā mai – Get in touch

• Email us
• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Call us: 0800 80 TREC (0800 80 8732)

If you spot an issue at a work site after hours, call 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 444449).

Sign-up to receive these regular newsletters:

• TREC Pānui (regular newsletter)
• TREC Hawke's Bay regional update (fortnightly)
• TREC Tairāwhiti regional update (fortnightly)

Local road network

Hawke’s Bay councils are responsible for local roading recovery projects.

• Napier City Council
• Hastings District Council
• Wairoa District Council
• Central HB District Council