SH31 Kawhia Road repairs

26 February 2024

SH31 is the only sealed road in and out of the seaside town.

Kawhia Road closed on Tuesday 5 March

Works ahead on SH31 Kawhia Road will require day-time closures – with the first one happening on Tuesday 5 March.

Old seal needs to be dug out on a site west of the Kawhia lookout on Tuesday. The road will be closed from 8am-5pm but will reopen for an hour at single lane between 12 noon and 1pm.

This job is weather-dependant and the contingency day is 12 March.

The road will be open for residents up to the work site but not through. The work site can be cleared to allow emergency vehicles to pass.

For light vehicles only, there is access in and out of Kawhia during the closure via SH39 to Ngutunui Rd, Pekanui Road, Okupata Road to Oparau and back on to SH31. This is a collection of local roads with some unsealed stretches so care is advised.

Following the dig-out on Tuesday, the resealing works will be completed under stop/go traffic management.

A bigger job is ahead in April which will require about three weeks of day-time closures. This is to fix an underslip which has developed adjoining where similar work was done last year.

More details, including dates for these closures, will be provided in the next few weeks.

Later this year, work will also be required to fix an additional underslip nearer Kawhia Harbour Road, which is currently under single lane.