People travelling on State Highway 1 (SH1) in the south Waikato are urged to drive with care with heavy rain and flooding causing potholes to form on the route.
The NZ Transport Agency says extremely wet weather over the past few days around Tirau, Putaruru and Tokoroa has saturated the road and caused a number of potholes to appear on SH1.
Speed restrictions, additional warning signs and other traffic management are in place as contractors work to temporarily repair the road and people are advised to expect short delays.
The Transport Agency’s acting regional performance manager Mercedes Santos says contractors have been working hard to fix the damage and are on standby if more problems appear, but drivers need to be alert and drive with caution when travelling through these areas.
“We do our best to repair potholes on the road network as they appear, and during winter our contractors increase their regular inspections,” Ms Santos says.
“However during wet weather potholes and other issues can develop suddenly, just hours after an inspection may have taken place.
“Temporary repairs made in winter tend to fail due to the conditions and more permanent work can only be carried out in summer.
“This week crews have worked continuously to repair the potholes on SH1, at times having to repair the same pothole several times as the mix won’t stick in such wet conditions.
“Last night, all known potholes had been repaired however with more wet weather on the way it is vital that people drive with care in this area.”
Ms Santos says the Transport Agency is currently developing a plan to improve the surface on SH1 in south Waikato. But those permanent repairs can’t be done until the warmer summer months.
“Until then we have installed additional warning signs to let people know they need to drive with caution and we will be increasing our monitoring on this stretch of highway so we can fix potholes as quickly as possible,” she says.
“Contractors will be on standby to carry out emergency works over the next few days and we encourage people to call us on 0 800 4 HIGHWAYS and tell us if they spot a pothole.”
The Transport Agency apologies for any inconvenience caused and thanks motorists for their patience during the works.
For personalised information about driving conditions on their frequently used routes, motorists can check out and sign up to On The Move at www.onthemove.govt.nz.(external link)
For real time information on highway conditions and incidents or to report issues on the network visit www.nzta.govt.nz(external link) call 0800 4 HIGHWAYS or follow @nztawaibop on twitter.
