Planned full night time closures of State Highway 2 over the Remutaka Hill are set to resume from Sunday 10 November to enable essential maintenance and slip prevention works to be safely carried out.
The NZ Transport Agency is giving early notice of the planned closures scheduled over the next 12 months which include four one-night closures and three blocks of five consecutive night closures.
The first one-night closure is on Sunday 10 November from 9pm to 4am Monday, followed by five consecutive nights from Sunday 24 November to Friday morning 29 November.
There are a further five consecutive night closures next year, scheduled for Sunday 12 January to Friday 17 January, and Sunday 3 May to Friday 8 May. The remaining one-night closures are scheduled for Sunday 5 April, Sunday 12 July and Sunday 13 September. During these periods, the 14 kilometre stretch of road will be closed from 9pm to 4am.
Regional Transport Systems Manager Mark Owen says having the road fully closed to traffic is critical to ensuring the safety of maintenance crews while work is being done.
“The constrained working environment on the steep narrow Remutaka Hill Road does not meet our safety expectations for our workers. We want to ensure our road crews are working in a safe environment,” Mr Owen says.
“The maintenance works will ensure the road is in good condition, and the slip prevention works will improve accessibility by reducing the risk of falling rocks and debris on to the road.”
Based on similar planned closures earlier this year, the night time work will significantly reduce the number of day time disruptions on the road and enable better quality work.
“Traditionally, work on the Remutaka Hill Road has been done during the day with approximately 300 stop/go road works through the year causing significant disruptions for motorists.
“Since the planned night closures in March, when our team was able to complete a huge amount of work, there have been only five stop/go works on the road in the last six months. That’s a 95 per cent reduction.”
The State Highway 2 road is the main artery linking the Wellington and Wairarapa regions with an average of over 6,650 vehicles using the road daily. Effective maintenance of the road is critical for both the Wellington and Wairarapa communities.
Around 291 vehicles travel on the Remutaka Hill Road at night between 9pm to 4am, compared to 6,650 vehicles during the day.
“We know closing the hill road will have an impact on road users in the evening. That’s why we are giving plenty of notice so people are able to reschedule their journeys, or allow more time for the detour via Pahiatua Track or Saddle Road,” Mr Owen says.
Further information on the Remutaka Hill Road closures is available at www.nzta.govt.nz/remutaka(external link)
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