The safety of Waitangi Bridge on SH51 has now been assessed and the road between Napier and Hastings will now reopen for emergency services and workers critical to the response effort.
The road had to close earlier today ahead of a safety assessment by engineers.
The road will be under temporary speed limits and is reduced to a single only.
Waka Kotahi’s Hawke’s Bay Journey Manager Andre Taylor says it’s vital emergency services are given priority, along with essential workers.
“People will be stopped before heading across the bridge and asked to show an appropriate form of identification before being able to continue.
“This link between Napier and Hastings is vital. It’s currently the only link connecting Napier and Hastings and we need to ensure there are no delays for emergency services. We anticipate a lot of people will be wanting to use the road, but we need to prioritise emergency services.
“Our contractors are also working at pace to clear debris on the second state highway link, the SH2 Napier-Hastings Expressway.”
Please ensure you check the latest weather conditions with MetService, and consult the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner for the most up to date information on road closures.
Journey Planner(external link)
For those who are unable to access the internet at this stage, please keep tuned tro local radio for the latest Civil Defence advice. Local programmes are on The Breeze 97.5 and The Hits 89.5
Journey Planner is updated 24/7 by Waka Kotahi traffic operations centres and is the best source of the most recent and reliable information available on state highway closures and disruptions. Remember to refresh the page when checking the status of highways to ensure that the latest updates are displayed.
