Heavy vehicles with trailers will be permitted to access State Highway 35 at Kopuaroa during daylight hours from Friday 29 July.
Between the hours of 7am and 7pm each day, heavy vehicles with trailers will be able to travel through the site. The site will be regularly monitored by our contractors during these times.
Access for heavy vehicles with trailers has been restricted since midnight on Friday 22 July, due to the risk of truck roll-overs, narrow lane width and extremely narrow and tight approach. The road remained open to all other traffic, including heavy vehicles without trailers.
Tairāwhiti-Gisborne System Manager Martin Colditz says there is a significant drop on one side of the road, and it had become apparent from tyre tracks that due to the tightness of the corners, long vehicles in particular were coming incredibly close to the drop off.
“We know this restriction for heavy vehicles with trailers was significant for transport operators and it was not something we took lightly. However, safety has to be our top priority at all times.
“Our contractors have worked hard to lessen the curves of the road and improve drainage, to make the site safer for heavy vehicles with trailers.
“Despite the rain earlier this week, they’ve been focused on getting things done well and done fast, to limit the impact on transport operators as much as possible,” Mr Colditz says.
A long-term fix for the site is currently going through design. It has funding attributed under the Provincial Growth Fund and construction is planned to start in early spring.
