The NZ Transport Agency is advising drivers of lane closures and detours on the Te Rapa section of the Waikato Expressway on Wednesday and Thursday this week (November 15-16).
The temporary lane closures on Wednesday are needed to allow contractors to carry out on-site testing to identify the cause of visible ruts which have appeared in the wheel tracks of the expressway.
NZ Transport Agency Senior Manager Project Delivery Chris Hunt says further testing on Thursday will require a full detour of expressway traffic, which is expected to add about 10 minutes to people’s journeys.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and appreciate people’s patience while we carry out this important work,” Mr Hunt says.
Similar testing will take place next month on the Ngaruawahia section, which also has visible rutting.
“As we do with all new highways, we’ve been closely monitoring the performance of the new expressway sections since opening,” Mr Hunt says.
“Our monitoring has identified the rutting as an issue on these two sections of the expressway, and we now need to take a closer look by examining the layers of the road.”
People can check for any delays before they travel online at www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic(external link).
You can also check our Facebook page www.facebook.com/NZTAWaikatoBoP(external link).
