Hawke's Bay recovery

22 June 2023

Tēnā koe,

Our teams are continuing to make some great progress on our state highways in Hawke’s Bay, amid some challenging weather conditions.

Crews have made positive progress on restoring sections of State Highway 5 (SH5), State Highway 2 (SH2) and State Highway 38 (SH38). Safety improvements on State Highway 51 (SH51) are also well underway which will see this stretch of road become safer for everyone who uses it.

Planning for future recovery and resilience works in the region is progressing well. We are investigating different solutions for sections of each state highway including slip or flood management, right through to complete road realignments. At this stage the planning is at a broad strategic level and there are significantly more decisions to be made in the future. Future recovery works remain subject to approval and funding, and many will require further community engagement, investigation and detailed planning.

Repair works ongoing on SH5

We’re making positive progress on repair works on SH5, and working hard to keep traffic flowing on the road.

Our teams continue to restore sections affected by underslips and scouring, and the temporary repair works at the two remaining Mangakōpikopiko sites are progressing well with one site being expected to be repaired this week (weather dependent).

The three sites where the road is still reduced to one lane are a priority:

• Repair works at the large underslip at Elands are expected to be complete by mid-August.
• Construction at the Esk underslip between Glengarry and Te Pōhue (pictured below) has not been impacted by the recent rain and we are confident that the road will open to two lanes by the end of July. The dropout will be at road level by beginning of July; next steps will include pavement work and drainage improvements.
• Design for repairs of the Captain’s culvert scour between Te Pōhue and Te Hāroto is underway and we are planning to start construction at the end of July.

Progress update on SH2

SH2 is open 24/7. While contractors continue to progress repairs between Waikare Gorge and Napier, please allow for an additional 30 minutes for your journey from Wairoa to Napier.

• Asphalt resurfacing works at Waikoau Hill, White Pine Bush and several other sites were completed last week.
• Pavement repairs south of Tūtira store are scheduled to go ahead this week (weather dependent).
• Under-scour repair work at the Karearea Stream Bridge between Tangoio and White Pine Bush is still expected to be complete at the end of July.
• Work at Sandy Creek Bridge is expected to be completed at the end of this week following some rain delays. Once complete, the road will be reopened to two lanes.
• Strengthening works on the Esk River Bridge have been completed. Crack filling under the bridge has been delayed by two weeks due to additional testing required to start these works. The 30km/h temporary speed limit will remain in place until work has been completed, most likely by the end of June.

Image: Repair works at Devil's Elbow are ongoing.

SH38 underslips

• Crews have begun working to repair the underslip site on SH38 next to the Waikaretaheke river. The road is currently down to one lane in this area.
• The design phase for repairing the large underslip near the intersection of SH38 and Titirangi Road is completed, and contractors are preparing to start works in the next few weeks (weather dependent).

Image: The large underslip near the intersection of SH38 and Titirangi Road.

SH51 safety improvements underway

Our contractors are making great progress on the SH51 Napier to Hastings safety improvements project. The crew has already installed two sections of flexible side barrier.

We have tweaked the programme to focus on the barrier installation first, which is a crucial step in making this section of the SH51 corridor safer. We've been monitoring peak hour traffic flows to ensure minimal disruption to the travelling public.

We're also using live data from peak hour traffic flows to assist in the planning and construction of the roundabout scheduled to begin next year. Temporary traffic management is still in place during non-peak times (between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday), however we're able to keep two lanes of traffic open due to the width of the highway.

This is an important project for the area, and we’re working hard to make sure it's carried out safely, efficiently, and with minimal disruption to the travelling public.

The project has been split into three stages and includes the installation of flexible side barrier, flexible median barrier, intersection improvements, and a new roundabout at the Awatoto Road/SH51 intersection.

This project will add about 4.5 kilometres of median barrier to the nationwide tally, preventing head on collisions, saving lives and reducing serious injuries.

Find out more about the SH51 safety improvements here.

Image: Crews have installed flexible side barriers between Awatoto and Waitangi Road.

Winter brings wet, cold... and potholes to our roads

The cold and often rainy months from May to September are when our state highways are most at risk from surface damage, with water the main culprit.

Unfortunately, the pavement (road surface) on our state highways is already weak in places as the region’s planned summer maintenance programme for 2022/23 was interrupted by an extremely wet spring, and Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle. In addition, the road surface was put under pressure during cyclone clean-up works. This means there will likely be issues such as cracking and potholes on the roads over this winter.

The good news is our contractors are working hard on surface repairs, and crews are out on the roads every day monitoring the highway network, ready to respond swiftly once they’re aware of potholes and other rain defects. If you do identify issues along the network, please contact 0800 4 HIGHWAYS.

Remember, when you see a hole – call the pothole patrol!

Watch: Winter can be hard on our roads and lead to potholes forming. Watch our video above to learn all about why this is. Note this shows a sped-up process (freezing water) to suitably explain the issue.

Keep an eye out for scams

We don't send text message reminders. If you get a text claiming it's from us, it's a scam.

You can tell it's a scam because we don't send out reminder texts for tolls, regos, or licence renewals.

Other telltale signs are that the scam text isn't from a New Zealand number (often they'll be from numbers beginning with +61 for Australia, or another overseas number). Scam texts also include links that look suspicious, and that don't go to our website nzta.govt.nz.

Our website has information on what to do if you've received a scam text, or if you've provided personal details, find out more here.

Text message scams are becoming more common. There are also scams pretending to be from organisations like IRD, NZ Post, and the AA. Our friends at CERT NZ have a great page on spotting scams and what you can do, you can read more here.

Keep up to date

It’s a challenging time to travel around Hawke’s Bay. Please plan ahead and drive to the conditions.

Traffic updates: Hawke’s Bay
Facebook: Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency - Hawke's Bay and Gisborne
Twitter: Waka Kotahi CNI
Journey planner: Hawke’s Bay
Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)

More information

For more information on the recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle, see the dedicated Hawke’s Bay Cyclone Recovery section on the Waka Kotahi website. You’ll find all the latest updates, FAQs, and information on the road ahead, all in one place.

You can also contact us at hawkesbay.response@nzta.govt.nz

Subscribing to this newsletter

As Hawke’s Bay recovers from Cyclone Gabrielle, this e-newsletter is designed to keep you updated on our progress, any changes and things you need to know. You are receiving this e-newsletter today as you have previously registered your interest in matters affecting our state highway network in Hawke’s Bay. Please share it with others who may find the information useful or, alternatively, you can unsubscribe.