Pohutukawa section widening complete, next up is resealing the road and installing barriers.

Update on the safety improvements on State Highway 2 Wainui Road to Ōpōtiki

After a long, wet winter, much of which was spent recovering from the severe weather at the beginning of the year, the whole project team is looking forward to a summer of sunshine, and the construction activities that brings.

Preparation is key
Before the end of 2023, you can expect to see plenty of sealing and surface improvement work along State Highway 2 Wainui Road to Ōpōtiki and beyond.

We’ve been working with local contractors and suppliers to co-ordinate this pavement work to happen in tandem with the physical safety improvements.

Some of this has already started, and if you have seen work crews out recently. We hope to have all this work completed by Christmas.

The gap cut by vandals has been repaired at some cost

Vandalised barrier causes safety issue

You may have seen a recent media article about a section of roadside barrier being cut (between Bairds and Woodlands Roads).

This barrier has only been recently installed and the vandalism has caused a significant safety risk.

The semi-rigid nature of this barrier absorbs the impact of a vehicle. If you hit the barrier, the barrier guides you along the length of the barrier, slowing your vehicle down while keeping you on the road.

Whoever cut the barrier created a situation where your vehicle hitting the barrier would have guided you directly into the sharp cutaway edge, turning a minor crash into a potentially fatal one.

Roadworkers have fixed the barrier, but they couldn’t just fill the gap. This vandalism compromised the entire section of barrier—almost four metres of the barrier needed to be replaced. That cost means there's less money for other safety improvements along this corridor.

Don't vandalise barriers. They're there to protect you if you have a crash, and they're not cheap.

Click on this link for more information about road barriers 

Looking ahead

By the end of October 2023, all planned Section 1B and 1C safety improvement works between Waiotahe Valley Back Road and Woodlands Road, Opotiki should be completed. These include shoulder widening and roadside barriers at high-risk locations, including through the Pōhutukawa tunnels.

We are also currently working with Opotiki District Council and local stakeholders to investigate incorporating an additional 700m of safety improvements north of the Baird’s Road intersection round the bend to the cutting. We will keep you updated on this one.

Stay safe on the road

Please drive safely through our work sites. The temporary speed limits and traffic management are there for a reason – to keep you, and our crews safe while we continue making the journey on SH2 Wainui Road to Ōpōtiki safer for everyone who uses it.

More information

For more information on the SH2 Wainui Road to Ōpōtiki project, visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/sh2-wainui-road-to-opotiki

If you have any questions, contact us at bopprojects@nzta.govt.nz