Newly installed barriers, seal and road markings

Making State Highway 2 safer for Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner, so you may be starting to think about your summer plans and when you'll be hitting the road. 

As well as being your local road, State Highway 2 is a key route for tourists on their way to make the most of the summer in Ōpōtiki or on their way to Hawke's Bay through the Waioeka Gorge or via the scenic State Highway 35 (SH35).

With more people travelling in the next few months, it's a good time to recap what’s been undertaken on SH2 from Wainui Road to Ōpōtiki to make it safer for everyone.

To date, we’ve:

• completed the section from Te Ahiaua Reserve Campsite to Paerata Ridge Road, and from Waiotahe Drifts Boulevard to the Kukumoa Cutting. This is a great milestone which has seen us install more than 4.1km of side barriers consisting of 1.4km of wire rope barriers and 2.7km of “W-section barriers” (commonly referred to as guardrails).

• been working with the local maintenance team to get fresh chip seal laid along with clear line marking ahead of Christmas.

The combination of safety barriers and a refreshed road surface helps prevent crashes. This work is on track for a November 2023 completion.

More side barriers are being installed in this area - in the vicinity of the yellow signs

Safety works from Kukumoa Cutting to Bairds Road underway

Careful management and delivery of the projects completed to date has meant that we now have the budget and resources to extend the installation of side barriers on SH2. The section from Kukumoa Cutting to Bairds Road will now benefit from these safety features. This section has seen too many crashes, and it is also timely with the installation of the cycleway alongside SH2 by the Ōpōtiki District Council.

Work is now underway to get more than 900 metres of side barriers installed on each side of the road before Christmas. There will be some traffic management in place as the crew gets this work done.

During this time road users can expect to see shoulder closures and/or stop/go operations in place, as required. Works will take place between 7am and 5pm each weekday. Please allow extra time for your journey as delays up to 10 minutes may be experienced. 

We’ll keep you posted as to any further safety improvements required to support the planned marina.

You can see where the impact of vehicle to side barrier happened

One potentially serious crash already prevented

Barriers we have installed have already done their job. As you can see in the photograph above, they prevented a car from leaving the road and saved the person driving and their passengers from a potentially serious crash. 

The barriers had been in place for just nine days when this happened.

There are many roadside hazards in this area, including banks, ditches, and drop-offs. 

You can see from the photo below what is on the other side of the barrier. 

Meri Kirihimete to all!

Finally, thanks for your patience and for the care you’ve shown for our work crews out on SH2 delivering these improvements.

The reseal works through Waioeka Gorge that saw the road closed between 9am and 5pm (and open over the weekends), are now complete.

We’d also like to wish you and your whānau a Meri Kirihimete.

Wherever you’re headed this summer, you can plan your trip using on our Journey Planner website. You’ll get the latest information about travel times, and any delays, roadworks or road closures.

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, please contact us at bopprojects@nzta.govt.nz