SH25 Thames Coast Recovery Update – 13 April 2018

SH25 rock protection walls heading for completion

The project to repair and strengthen the series of rock protection walls on SH25 Thames Coast Road is nearing completion, with attention now moving to rebuilding the road.  

Almost three-quarters of the 6.7 km of rock protection walls between Thames and Manaia are finished.

Work to repair and reseal the road and replace damaged culverts is now the main focus. Project crews are now over halfway along with these repairs, remaining on track to get the work completed by the end of June.  

Reducing the number of work sites and increasing the number of teams working on rock walls has helped to improve traffic flows along this stretch of SH25, however motorists should still expect delays to their journey with stop/go traffic management and speed restrictions at multiples sites. 

Temporary rock protection walls are now complete at Te Mata and Thornton Bay and the NZ Transport Agency is working with the local community and other stakeholders to design a long-term solution which protects the road while giving residents access to the beach.

How to stay up to date:
· A webpage has been set up to provide travel information for the journey from Thames to Manaia www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/sh25
·  The key traffic and travel source which provides up-to-date information on weather and road conditions nationwide is www.nzta.govt.nz/traffic
·  Information is also shared via the Transport Agency’s official Twitter and Facebook accounts listed here www.nzta.govt.nz/contact-us/connect-with-us/
·  Thames Coromandel District Council facebook updates here www.facebook.com/ThamesCoromandelDistrictCouncil/
· Drivers can also call 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49) to speak to the call centre team who can provide them with traffic and travel information either before they’re travelling or when they’re on the road.

Work to begin on Waiwawa River bridge

Work is about to begin to repair the abutments on the Waiwawa River bridge at Coroglen. This work should be complete by early June and there will be no disruption to traffic.

There is also some minor work which will take place soon on the Takatakahia bridge on SH25A.

We are continuing to finalise design, obtain consent and prepare tender documents on six projects that will help make the road more resilient to the effects of storms and heavy rain. These are:

• SH25A Kopu-Hikuai retaining wall
• Boundary Creek, rock wall to protect against erosion
• Kereta Hill, retaining wall
• Kereta Coast, rock wall to protect against erosion 
• Kuaotunu Hill, retaining walls at two sites
• Matarangi, rock protection wall 

We're also taking the opportunity to improve safety in addition to resilience at some of these locations. This means that these projects are likely to be completed later this year, rather than mid-year as first expected.

More information

For more information on the SH25/SH25A Thames-Coromandel project, contact us coromandel@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/thames-coromandel