Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advises that due to the increasing severity of cracking and slumping on the highway, State Highway 23 (SH23) must remain closed to all traffic for now.
“Geotechnical engineers are carrying out drilling and core penetration tests to investigate the severity of the situation and ongoing risk,” says Waka Kotahi System Manager for the Waikato, Cara Lauder.
“Once we have the full picture from the geotech team we will be able to plan how to best fix it.
“We understand how vital this highway is to the Raglan community. Unfortunately, this will not be a quick repair job.
“We have significant work ahead of us to get the road back to full use, but it’s our priority to find a solution that will give road users access.
“Currently the area is very wet and it’s unsafe for vehicles. Please bear with us while we investigate options to create temporary access around the affected areas. We will provide further updates on this as we progress,” says Ms Lauder.
The road was closed last night from 7pm due to the safety risk posed by the cracking and slumping on the highway west of Glentui Lane.
Inspections this morning show continued deterioration.
“Despite our best efforts to keep water out of the cracks, the fissures are growing quickly.
“Short term measures have included adding cold mix asphalt to the cracks and building an asphalt bund to direct road water flow away for the slumping.
“We appreciate that the community needs answers quickly, but our focus must be safety while we work on a solution,” Ms Lauder says.
If travelling from Raglan, the detour route is as follows: Ohautira Road, Waingaro Road, Herschel Street, Ellery Street, Whatawhata Avenue, Ngaruawahia Road, Horotiu Road to re-join SH23.
Caution is advised on the detour as the roads have tight, winding sections. We do not advise using Old Mountain Road.
Check social media and the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner.
