Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advises the Pekatahi Bridge, located north of Taneatua on State Highway 2, will close daily for structural maintenance between Monday 3 July and Thursday 6 July.
Closures will take place daily between 8:30am and 4:30pm to allow contractors to replace a section of handrail, repair broken and loose decking planks and replace the joint cover at the northwest end of the bridge. Due to the narrow width of the bridge a full closure is required to ensure this work can be carried out safely. The closure has been scheduled during the school holidays to minimise disruption to motorists.
A detour will be in place for northbound traffic, using Taneatua Road, Arawa Road, Hinemoa Street and onto State Highway 30 towards Awakeri. Southbound traffic should use the same route, in reverse. This detour is expected to add up to 20 minutes to journey times and is suitable for all vehicles, including High Productivity Motor Vehicles (HPMV).
Roger Brady, Bay of Plenty System Manager for Waka Kotahi, says the routine maintenance of the Pekatahi Bridge is a coordinated effort to get the best outcome possible for all involved.
“We know that SH2 is an important route for many, and we make every effort to combine our maintenance activities on the Pekatahi Bridge, to minimise the period of time the bridge has to be closed. A lot of planning work is involved in ensuring the right result, and we’d also like to acknowledge the assistance of Whakatāne District Council, who allow the detour route on their local roads."
Further east, winter resurfacing of SH2 from Ōpōtiki through to Gisborne is underway. Alongside the foamed bitumen stabilisation works already taking place, an asphalting programme to further strengthen and protect the highway for the future is scheduled.
Full road closures will be in place overnight between 7pm and 5am, from Monday 26 June, for approximately 4 weeks. Some work can be completed during the day under stop/go traffic control. The work will start at the northern-most site, near the entrance to the Waioeka Gorge.
This work is weather dependent, which means that SH2 will stay open to traffic at night during wet weather.
