State Highway 27 south of Matamata will be detoured from 10 January 2022 to 14 April 2022 to allow for the completion of new stretches of road either side of the new bridge being built over the Mangawhero Stream.
The Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency project to replace the bridge and realign a section of State Highway 27 approximately seven kilometres south of Matamata is progressing well, and the detour is required to ensure the new sections of road can be safely joined to the existing state highway.
Regional Manager Infrastructure Delivery Jo Wilton says the new road is 1.4 metres lower than the existing road at the northern end, so approximately 200 metres of the highway has to be cut down and rebuilt to link to the new bridge approaches.
“We realise any detour is inconvenient for road users, however by doing this we will be able to complete the project and open as soon as the new bridge is complete. This is expected to be about five months ahead of schedule,” Ms Wilton says.
While the highway is closed, traffic will be detoured along State Highway 29, Hopkins Road and Hinuera Road, adding around 3.7 kilometres to a journey between Tirau and Matamata.
Three months has been allowed for the closure to ensure the work can be complete and properly sealed by early April when the new bridge is forecast to be complete.
When State Highway 27 reopens in April, traffic will be running over the new bridge, with the project fully complete around the middle of 2022.
The Mangawhero Stream bridge is being replaced because of its high crash rate, with contributing factors the narrowness of the bridge and the unexpected dips and curves in the road leading up to it.
Waka Kotahi thanks motorists for their patience.
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