Road rebuilds a focus for this renewals season in Hawke’s Bay

People travelling throughout Hawke’s Bay over the next few months can expect to see a lot of activity renewing (replacing road surfaces) and resealing the region’s state highways.

The 2024/25 summer maintenance and renewals season is now well underway.

In addition to a busy summer maintenance and renewals season, cyclone recovery work is continuing.

During the course of the maintenance and renewals season, which typically runs between now and March when the weather is warmer and drier, approximately 10 lane kilometres* of state highways are expected to be renewed in total throughout the region.

Renewing the road involves removing the existing road surface and underlying structure and replacing it with new materials.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) Regional Manager of Maintenance and Operations Rua Pani says a focus of the maintenance and renewals season is ensuring a safe, reliable, resilient state highway network.

“Undertaking a high number of road renewals is a key priority in the region. This is how we improve road conditions long-term,” says Ms Pani.

“We are working hard to minimise the impact of works on road users, but some level of disruption is unavoidable. We appreciate the patience of all road users in Hawke’s Bay as we complete this necessary maintenance work on the region’s roads,” says Ms Pani.

Some of the activity planned through the renewals programme

SH2: 

• Work at Rakaipaaka north of Wairoa has been completed. 
• Work at Tawhara Station, south of Wairoa has been completed.
• Work at north Ohinepeka has been completed.
• Taniwha Station in central Hawke’s Bay. This site is currently underway and expected to be complete mid-December.
• Work in Waipwa is due to begin in January.

SH5: 

• Te Haroto School. The site is due to be set up early in December and expected to be completed mid-January.
• Gum Trees. The site is due to be set up early January and expected to be completed by early March.
• Old Mill. The site is due to be set up early November and expected to be completed mid- December.
• There will be some further work on two sites from last season including Māori Gully and Waioni Bridge.

SH50: 

• South of Mangamaukau Stream - Tikokino village between Holden Street and Smedley Road. The site is due to get underway late January and is expected to be complete mid-March.
• Watsons South, just north of the intersection with Ashley Clinton Rd. Approximately one month in duration and 757m in length. This site is starting early February and completion is expected mid-March.
• Balfours Rd, just north of Makaretu Rd intersection. This site is 165m long. It is programmed for early January until mid-February.
• Mangatewai South, south of Mangatewai River bridge. This site is 290m long and programmed for mid-January until late February.

Alongside the summer maintenance and renewals season, Hawke’s Bay road crews are continuing cyclone recovery work.

NZTA is working alongside Transport Rebuild East Coast (TREC) and local contractors on a range of recovery projects.

TREC’s Hawke’s Bay project spokesperson Chris Mahoney says TREC crews are making good progress alongside local contractors on multiple recovery sites, fixing damaged sections of the road, stablising slips, repairing and maintaining bridges.

The recovery programme includes sites at Devil’s Elbow and White Pine Bush on SH2, repairs at Dillon’s Hill Culvert, and North of Hill Road Culvert on SH5, and bridge repairs at Chesterman’s Bridge and Aschott Bridge on SH50.

“We expect the bulk of the recovery work to be completed by autumn next year. There will be a handful of sites that run for a longer period, but much of the traffic management will be off the network come Easter.”

With the increase in renewal work, road users can expect to encounter a number of roadwork sites and sections of newly sealed road on their journeys.

“It is important that drivers follow the temporary traffic management in place, adhere to all speed restrictions in place and respect our crews while travelling through the roadworks site.

 “Speeding over a freshly sealed road can damage the new seal, lifting and flicking stones from the road that can, in turn, damage nearby vehicles or your own. To minimise the risk of damage to both vehicles and the new seal, it is crucial that road users adhere to all temporary speed restrictions in place,” says Ms Pani.