Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is advising of upcoming resilience works happening on State Highway 2 Remutaka Hill from Sunday 16 May until Friday 4 June.
Regional Transport Systems Manager Mark Owen says a recent engineering analysis report has found several sites where work to improve the Remutaka Hill road’s long-term resilience is a priority.
“The Remutaka Hill road is a lifeline for Wairarapa communities and the only direct vehicle route to the Wellington region. As part of the Remutaka mountain range, the road is prone to slips from heavy rainfall which overflows the stormwater drains,” Mr Owen says.
“This resilience work is necessary to ensure that safety of road users and help prevent future slips and road closures from happening in the event heavy rainfall in the Remutaka mountain range.”
Two high priority sections will be strengthened from late May to early June to prevent future erosion and slips causing lengthy road closures and disruption to people’s journeys. Two culverts that are due for an upgrade will be worked on at the same time.
Works being undertaken include building retaining walls, adding new culverts and expanding capacity for existing culverts to manage stormwater overflow.
From Sunday night 16 May to Friday afternoon 21 May, and Sunday night 23 May to Friday afternoon 28 May, the Remutaka Hill road will be closed from 9pm to 4am each night and under stop/go traffic management at all other times.
From Monday 31 May to Friday afternoon 4 June, stop/go traffic control will be in place during the day and the road fully open during the night.
“The Remutaka Hill road is steep, narrow and winding which makes it a challenging environment to work in. Having it fully closed to traffic at night during the main period of the works is essential to ensure the safety of our team,” Mr Owen says.
“Working at night encounters less traffic, and therefore less disruption to road users, however there will still be some impact on motorists during the day with the stop/go in place, so we’re advising everyone to plan ahead.”
The five-night road maintenance closure scheduled to start Sunday night 13 June has been cancelled, with work planned during this closure taking place alongside the resilience work during the first week of the May closure.
Access will be available for emergency services throughout the night-time closures.
Travel arrangements for traffic during the night-time closures (from Sunday night 16 May to Friday afternoon 21 May, and Sunday night 23 May to Friday afternoon 28 May) are as follows:
From Sunday night 16 May to Friday afternoon 21 May, an escorted vehicle service is available for night workers and people with essential commitments.
Bookings in advance are essential via email, Monday to Friday, at remutaka@nzta.govt.nz
From Sunday night 23 May to Friday afternoon 28 May, at night, traffic convoys will be escorted over the hill by a pilot vehicle. No bookings required:
Eight remaining sites identified in the engineering analysis report will be strengthened over the next few years, subject to funding.
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