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Hawke's Bay recovery |
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14 April 2023 |
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Tēnā koe,The roads in and out of Hawke’s Bay were busy this Easter, with many people taking the opportunity to get away and reconnect with friends and whānau. Thank you for driving to the conditions and for taking extra caution around our work sites. As we move into the recovery phase, we are pulling together the plans and partnerships we’ll need for the medium to long term. With our council partners and mana whenua, we are preparing a strategic resilience recovery plan for northern Hawke's Bay, Wairoa and Tairāwhiti. This will identify options for the medium and long term on SH2, SH35 and SH38 that our newly formed Alliance (profiled below) will follow through on. We will keep you updated as this thinking and opportunities to be involved develop. |
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Interim agreement for East Coast recoveryAn interim agreement between Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, KiwiRail and three large contracting firms is an important step towards recovery of the transport network across the East Coast. The interim agreement, signed Thursday 13 April, enables Waka Kotahi to work alongside KiwiRail, Downer, Fulton Hogan and Higgins to establish the design and construction management team for the long-term recovery. Waka Kotahi Group General Manager Transport Services, Brett Gliddon, says an alliance model was chosen for Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti following its successful use for the Kaikōura earthquake rebuild. "We are committed to a regionally led, centrally supported approach. Local knowledge and resources will play a key role in this recovery. Working together with Iwi, councils, locally-owned contractors and consultants and the community – those who know Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti best – will ensure we meet current and future needs. “While this first step sees us build agreements with large companies with nationwide presence, a significant amount of physical work will be undertaken by smaller, local contractors,” says Mr Gliddon. “The impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle have been devastating and we know how important the rebuild is to everyone who lives and works in Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti. There are ongoing discussions around resilience and the need to build this into our solutions,” Mr Gliddon says. The alliance is expected to be in place for several years, and the full alliance team is expected to be in place by mid-2023. Until then, ongoing recovery works to improve access levels are being undertaken by the existing maintenance contractors across affected regions. |
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Highway snapshotLatest information as at 4:00pm, Friday 14 April. Highway access maps are available on the Waka Kotahi website. Despite a poor weather forecast, there was no major damage to our highways over the Easter period. State Highway 2
State Highway 5
State Highway 38
State Highway 50
State Highway 51
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WATCH: State highways across the country are reopening after Cyclone Gabrielle, but there are a host of challenges ahead of drivers and roading crews. |
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State Highway 5 |
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Crews continue their mahi on State Highway 5, repairing underslips, culverts, and road shoulders. Teams are backfilling the site of the major drop-out between Te Pōhue and Glengarry with an estimated 4500-5000m3 of rock to bring it back up to road level, where crews can then begin pavement works. We expect to have this section of the road restored in mid-June. Crews are also on the tools near the Eskdale substation, with the aim of reinstating the road to two lanes in June. We are also repairing three sites along the route where the Mangapikopiko Stream has caused erosion close to the highway. Temporary repair works are being fast-tracked while a permanent fix is designed, and work will begin at the end of April. We are also designing a fix for the highway at Te Haroto, where one lane has been lost to scour. This work is expected to start in four weeks, and will include improvements to the culvert. |
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Image: Work underway on the drop-out between Te Pōhue and Glengarry |
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Image: One of three sites where the Mangapikopiko Stream has scoured areas of the bank next to State Highway 5 |
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State Highway 2 |
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Crews are working through the section between Tūtira and the Devil’s Elbow, clearing silt and debris from drains and road shoulders. Work is underway to reconstruct the approach to the Te Ngarue Bridge, with pavement to be laid shortly. |
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Image: Work underway at the Waikare Gorge Bailey bridge approaches underwayTransport Minister Michael Wood, MP for Ikaroa-Rawhiti, Meka Whaitiri, and Waka Kotahi team members met with locals at the Waikare Gorge last week to hear the challenges they have faced since Cyclone Gabrielle and provide an update on the construction of the Bailey bridge. We are making steady progress, with the bridge piers installed, concrete poured and approaches to the bridge underway. Next steps are to cut the piers to length and attach the plates that will support the bridge structure. Bailey bridges are installed by Downer, and the team at their Hastings yard has been busy assembling sections of the bridge and cutting timber for the bridge deck. Although we aim to open the bridge to the public in late May, work at the site is weather-dependent. Poor weather delayed work over the long weekend, but we have three crews currently onsite and working to make up for lost time. |
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WATCH: Find out how Bailey bridges are stored, prepared and installed |
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Esk River Bridge to be strengthenedWork to strengthen the Esk River Bridge, on SH2 north of Napier, will soon be underway. Strength issues were identified after a detailed inspection last year and a temporary 30km/h speed limit put in place. The work will see crews installing carbon fibre strips and steel dowels into the top of the bridge deck and undertaking repairs to the underside of the bridge. Work will begin on April 30 and will be undertaken overnight from Sunday to Thursday to reduce disruption. The bridge will be closed to all traffic (with the exception of emergency services) from 9pm to 5am on these nights, in order to allow the concrete grouts and epoxy resins to cure. The bridge will remain open during daytime hours, though there may be occasional work that will require one lane to be closed. The work is expected to be completed by May 21, although this is weather-dependent. Residents will receive details in their letterboxes next week. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. Image: The approach to the Esk River Bridge on State Highway 2 |
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SH2 Mōrere closureAs the clean up from Cyclone Gabrielle continues, roading crews will be replacing the collapsed Mōrere Culvert north of Nūhaka, on SH2. The road around the culvert will be closed between 8am Wednesday 19 April and 8am Friday 21 April. The closure means that communities along SH2, including Wairoa, will be without access to Gisborne for 48 hours as no vehicles will be permitted through the area. However, SH38 will be open. We understand that this will be disruptive and we have been working closely with the communities affected to minimise the impact. This work is critical to strengthening the resilience of the road in heavy rain, and crews will be working day and night to get the job done as quickly as possible. Please plan your travel around the closure. See the Waka Kotahi website for more information. |
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State Highway 51 |
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Thank you to all those who planned their travel around the closure of Waitangi Bridge on Tuesday 11 April. Inspections confirmed that the bridge is performing well after repairs and the temporary speed limit has been raised to 60km/h. Teams installed electronic sensors on the bridge on Wednesday, which will enable us to monitor any movement of the bridge piers. The bridge will be closed between 10am and 11am on Monday 17 April while engineers confirm that the sensors are working as expected. Please delay your travel during this time or consider an alternative route. |
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Keep up to date |
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It’s a challenging time to travel around Hawke’s Bay. Please plan ahead and drive to the conditions.
Traffic updates: Hawke’s Bay |
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More information |
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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 |
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Subscribing to this newsletterAs 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. |
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