Work to install a new 3.5 x 4m culvert on State Highway 4 north of Taumarunui is almost complete.
The road, between the intersection of SH43 and Okahukura Bridge Road, will be reinstated to two lanes from today, Tuesday 4 June, with a temporary 30 km/h speed limit in place.
The temporary drainage has been in place after heavy rainfall caused a culvert to flood and collapse in November 2022, creating a large hole in the northbound lane.
During construction, a temporary road was built to allow road users to continue to use SH4 while crews worked across both lanes of the existing road.
This was expected to be in place until the end of June, however contractors have been able to open the road early with the culvert in place ahead of schedule.
The temporary seal was laid on Friday to hold the site over the winter months, before a full pavement rebuild can take place in the summer construction season when the weather is more conducive to resurfacing.
As the seal is temporary, road users may see defects in the surface and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is advising road users over the coming months to adhere to the temporary speed limit and drive carefully through the temporary surfacing.
Photos below show work in progress.
