SH31 Kawhia Road repairs

26 April 2023

Reinforcing the site requires drilling from above the underslip and filling with timber piles and concrete. These machines take up the whole road, hence the closure.

Heading for a mid-May finish

The big repair job on SH31-Kawhia Road is going well and is expected to be completed in mid-May.

Thanks to all road users who have been impacted by the day-time closures – we understand this is a major inconvenience but the worksite is so narrow there is no way to have workers, trucks and drilling rigs on the site while traffic is passing.

An engineering technique called soil nailing is being used to strengthen the site where the road showed signs of cracking in mid-February and was reduced to a single lane.

Repairs began on 11 April with the road closed each weekday from 8am, opening for an hour from 12.30pm, then closing again until 5.30pm.

Outside the weekday work closures the road remains open at single lane, controlled by traffic lights, with a speed restriction.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency System Manager for Waikato, Cara Lauder, says repairs are going to plan.

“We have had a good run drilling into the bank below the road and are now moving to concreting the timber piles into place.”

Access in and out of Kawhia during the closure periods is via SH39 to Ngutunui Rd, Pekanui Road, Okupata Road and Oparau Road back on to SH31. This is a collection of local roads with some unsealed stretches and takes about 10 minutes longer than SH31.

In an emergency situation the slip worksite can be cleared to allow emergency vehicles through.

“Most people are getting through our worksite while it is open but for those who can’t this alternative route is available for light vehicles and we advise drivers to take care,” Ms Lauder says.

“With the current progress and reasonable weather we are looking at completing work by the middle of May which is very pleasing because this is a vital route for the Kawhia community, farms and other businesses.”

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