TREC Tairāwhiti recovery update

Issue 12

13 December 2024

Tēnā koe

TREC continues to deliver a busy recovery programme this summer alongside local contractors, and we’re working hard to get as much done as we can before the Christmas break. 

In this update we reflect on the year’s achievements and look at what we have coming up in 2025.

We also have a photo of one of our site engineers standing beside massive rocks sourced from a local quarry - the rocks are almost as tall as she is!

From everyone here at TREC we hope you have a safe and happy holiday season. 

Meri Kirihimete me te Hape Nū Ia! 

Highway highlights 

Wrapping up 2024

A busy year on the Tairāwhiti state highway network has seen us complete construction on almost 80% of the projects in the recovery programme.  

That’s a total of 140 completed projects (basically these are faults we’ve fixed). Some of them are big and others are small and include specialised work or are specific jobs that sit within a larger project.

These efforts are helping to make state highways safer and more resilient, ultimately making travel more efficient for everyone.

Busy 2025 ahead

We still have a big summer construction season ahead of us and lots of projects starting in the new year. 

Most TREC recovery work around Tairāwhiti will be complete by mid next year with our focus then moving to the larger projects such as Hikuwai Bridge No.1 replacement, Mangahauini Gorge, and flooding improvements at Nesbitt’s Dip and Rototahe.

Thank you! 

We’d like to acknowledge all the local contractors who have delivered such great results on TREC projects across the state highway network. Their local knowledge and commitment to getting the job done has been an important part of the progress achieved.

Thank you to Iwi and hapū who have continued to work closely with us.

We also couldn’t have achieved this amount of work without the support of road users and local communities.  

We know roadworks can be challenging and we really appreciate your patience and care when adjusting to new road layouts, temporary lower speeds or road closures. This helps us keep you, other road users and our crew safe – particularly on those sites where there is very little room to work or move. 

Keeping you moving this holiday season 

To help those travelling over the Christmas break move around more easily, TREC work across state highways will temporarily stop over the Christmas/New Year period from Thursday 19 December until Monday 6 January.  

SH2 north will temporarily go back to two lanes over this time. However the sites on SH35 listed below will have traffic management in place such as reduced speed limits or one lane sections with traffic lights to keep people safe. Please take care and follow all signs and temporary speed limits. 

• Kopuaroa
• Mangahauini Gabions
• D9/Gudgeon’s
• Kemps Hill
• Makatote (Makarika) Valley

We encourage you to plan your journeys and check the latest traffic updates at journeys.nzta.govt.nz to stay informed on road conditions.  

Please continue to be patient and kind with any teams on site – they’re working hard to help keep everyone safe on their journey. The people out there on the worksites are local, your friends and whānau, and we want to make sure they make it home safe each night.

If you need to report any issues impacting travel on state highways, freephone 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49) or call *555 to report urgent, but not life-threatening, road incidents. 

Work underway at Waikohu Bridge #3.

Quarry trips into the triple digits

More than 185 trips were made to the Rakauroa quarry to collect 1900 tonnes of rocks (equivalent weight of around 30+ adult elephants) for repair and protection work on SH2 Waikohu Bridge #3. 

In the picture above you can see rip rap buttress (support) work using the rocks from Rakauroa quarry surrounding one of the bridge abutments that was impacted during Cyclone Gabrielle. 

Five bridges on SH2 in this region have had repair work this year to protect them against the erosion impacts of streams and waterways.

Take a look below at our Site Engineer who is 149cm in height next to two of the Waikohu Bridge rocks

Hot spot on SH35

There’s a lot of work underway on SH35 at the moment, particularly between Ruatoria and Te Puia Springs.

Projects include Kahuitara (Jeru Straight) Culvert, Makarika Valley #3, Kopuaroa Stream Bridge and Kopuaroa underslip.

While Kahuitara (Jeru Straight) Culvert and Makarika Valley #3 are expected to finish before Christmas, both Kopuaroa sites will continue into the New Year as well as a third Kopuaroa site planned to get underway in mid-January.

Read more about the Kopuaroa work here.

Sites are either under stop/go traffic management or have traffic lights. It’s important to respect temporary speed restrictions and follow the instructions from crews onsite, to keep road users, communities and roading crews safe.

Kopuaroa slip 1 on SH35.

Hot weather causing sticky road surfaces on SH35

With temperatures rising in Gisborne, some roads are showing signs of ‘bleeding seal’ or sticky surfaces.

Why does this happen?

• The first hot weather of the season can affect newly constructed chip seals, especially on uphill inclines.
• Even older seals can become sticky with the first flush of hot weather.
• Saturated road surfaces can sometimes worsen ‘bleeding seal’ as water is released. 

How is it managed?

• Monitoring: NZTA maintenance crews are actively checking the state highways for signs of ‘bleeding.’
• Cooling: Water carts are on standby to spray water on hot spots, helping to cool the roads and prevent bleeding.
• Chip spreading: Crews are spreading sealing chips on affected areas to protect the road surface and improve traction.

What can you do?

• Drive to the conditions: If the road is sticky or there are speed restrictions, slow down and follow the traffic management signs.
• Respect speed limits: This helps to keep people safe, minimise damage to the roads, and prevent further issues.
• Report issues: If you see bleeding seal or have safety concerns, call NZTA on 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49).

Read more here.

State highway snapshot

Below is a snapshot of construction works either recently completed and/or underway: 

SH2 recently completed  

• Otoko Slip Soldier Pile Walls.  
• Otoko Hill Slip #3 - Hill stabilisation and drainage improvements.
• Otoko Overslip #2 - Hill stabilisation using counterfort drains.

SH2 underway 

• Otoko Hill Slip #2 - Hill stabilisation using soil anchors, shotcrete, and rip rap (large rocks).
• Waikohu Bridge #3 - Repair scour around bridge pier with rip rap (large rocks).

SH2 coming in early 2025

• Rakauoroa – Reinstate underslip using soil anchors and shotcrete.
• Otoko Hill – Major drainage to stabilise slopes.
• Allen’s Existing Wall – Reinstate underslip under existing wall using soil anchors and shotcrete. 

SH35 recently completed

• Oweka – Fix underslip with a reinforced buttress (supporting structure). 
• Ihungia Road – Fix underslip with buttressing (supporting structure) and rip rap (large rocks).
• Mangahauini Gabion Wall – Stage 1 – Buttress (supporting structure) and rip rap (large rocks) at the bottom of the existing gabion wall to stabilise SH35 until Stage 2 works start.
• Hikuwai Bridge No. 1 early investigations – Drilling for soil samples and using electro-seismic scanning to find underground obstructions to help with the bridge design.
• Mangakuri Stream Bridge – Riverbed and slopes lining with rock.

SH35 underway 

• Te Anaputarua (Aka Whanarua) – Soldier pile wall with drainage improvements. 
• Kahuitara (Jeru Straight) Culvert – Replace culvert segments and clear out riverbed from built-up aggregate.
• Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge repairs – Reinstate bridge bearings and strengthening works. 
• Makarika Valley dropout #3 – Reinstating state highway to two lanes, buttress support and rip rap (large rocks) to prevent future river erosion.
• Kopuaroa 1 Stream Bridge – Scour protection beneath bridge using soil nails and shotcrete (sprayed concrete).
• Mangahauini Gorge Major Project early investigations - Drilling for soil samples to help with the design of this major project.
• Whakaari Bluff rock revetment – Road buttressing (supporting structure) and rock revetment (protection) on a major scour done on SH35 by the Hikuwai river.

SH35 coming in early 2025 

• Awatere Gully – Buttress wall with gabions (baskets fill with rocks) to repair the underslip.
• Kemps Culvert – Follow the Stage 1 SH35 repair, reinstate the inlet/outlet of the culvert and construct further drainage improvements. 
• Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge – Repair the scour at the south end of the bridge and construct a major revetment with dolosse (interlocking concrete blocks) for futureproofing.
• Kopuaroa 1 Slip – Reinstate SH35 to two lanes by installing a soil anchor and shotcrete (sprayed concrete) wall.
• Kopuaroa 2 – Build a 250m long buttress (supporting structure) to support SH35 and provide additional drainage.
• Mangahauini Gabion Wall – Stage 2 – Install 160x9m long anchors to permanently support SH35.

Road notifications

Further bridge lifts are required at Rotokautuku (Waiapu) Bridge where work is underway to repair the bridge bearings and cross-bracing impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Details will be communicated in the New Year but we expect delays to be short 3-10 minute stop-stops similar to the recent bridge lifts.

Please plan your journey to allow for these delays. Thank you for your patience and support while we complete this important bridge repair job.

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 (general newsletter)
• TREC Hawke's Bay regional update (fortnightly)
• This TREC Tairāwhiti regional update (fortnightly)

Local road network

Gisborne District Council is responsible for local roading recovery projects. More information.

Up-to-date information on local road closures.