Traffic flows around the Waikato and Coromandel have been heavy over the first day of the Easter holiday break, however, overall there have been very few reports of congestion, says the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).
Acting State Highway Manager, Bryce Carter, says the NZTA has been keeping a close eye on both areas, including the new Kopu Bridge and the single lane bridge into Tairua, but no hold ups have been reported so far in these areas, however there was a minor backlog cleared at the intersection of SH26 and SH2 at around 11.30 this morning.
“Police have told us that they put in a temporary points person at that intersection for about half an hour to ensure both roads kept flowing at the normal rate, which sorted the situation very quickly,” says Mr Carter.
“The NZTA will also continue to keep an eye on things over the rest of the weekend. We’d expect traffic flows to increase more markedly on Monday as people return from their Easter break.”
Mr Carter says there has been one accident heading into the Easter break, on State Highway 2 just outside Paeroa near the meatworks. “A loaded flat deck truck rolled in a drain there just before midnight. Police have advised us that the driver was taken to Waikato Hospital with moderate injuries and no other vehicles were involved in the crash,” says Mr Carter. “The truck is pretty badly damaged but it rolled with its container load of tyres intact. The truck is well off the road and it’s not affecting the flow of traffic or presenting any hazard to motorists travelling through that section of SH2.”
Mr Carter says the NZTA is working with the salvage company and police to organise the removal of the truck within the next few days. “We’ll need to coordinate this with the local power company also, as the powerlines above the crash area will need to be shut off to allow the salvage company’s crane access into the drain to remove the truck. This may require one or more temporary road closures around these activities.”
Mr Carter says the NZTA is keen to time the removal of the truck for after the busy holiday weekend to reduce any impacts this might have on motorists travelling through the area. “At this stage we’re looking at Tuesday or Wednesday, given the truck’s not causing a hazard to motorists. The NZTA, police and the salvage company will be working together to ensure disruption to traffic is minimised as much as possible. Motorists coming through this area next week will however need to be aware of the temporary road closures and take note of any traffic controls and signage in place.”
“In the meantime, I’d like to re-emphasise that all road users should still take extra care during the rest of this busy holiday period and plan ahead for their journeys as much as possible. People need to stay alert, manage their speeds, take note of speed restrictions, drive to the conditions and take regular breaks on long journeys,” says Mr Carter.
