Works begin next week alongside State Highway 2 (SH2), south of Taradale Road roundabout, to remove vegetation and prepare the site for further works.
Contractors will set up on the section of land adjacent to the Kennedy Road off-ramp in Napier from Monday 14 October, with these works expected to take a few weeks.
“SH2 is an incredibly important connection for the region – the spine connecting Napier to Hastings and beyond. This section of SH2 between the roundabouts at Taradale Road and Pākowhai/Links Road, where the vegetation will be cleared away, is the most congested section during peak traffic,” says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) Regional Manager of Infrastructure Delivery, Rob Partridge.
“When we do this work we’ll also put environmental controls in place by way of silt fences to ensure debris doesn’t enter Purimu Stream once the vegetation cover is removed.
“NZTA will be doing everything we can to minimise disruption and work as quickly as possible. We thank road users and residents nearby in advance for their patience and understanding as this important site clearance work is carried out,” says Mr Partridge.
As a result of the work, from 14 October, the right-hand turning lane into Kennedy Road from the northbound offramp will be closed.
NZTA encourages road users to instead drive to the Taradale Road roundabout and exit the highway there. The detour route will be clearly sign posted.
People still wishing to exit onto Kennedy Road will need to turn left onto Kennedy Road towards Greenmeadows and then right at the roundabout onto Taradale Road.
Road users are also advised of a lower 50km/h temporary speed limit in place on this stretch of the highway, while the work is carried out.
Traffic will also be held (where traffic is temporarily stopped) for short periods at a time during this work.
A section of the shared-user path adjacent to the northbound lane of the highway will be closed for the duration of this work. Alternative pathways on Konini Crescent and Downing Avenue will be available.
Detours will be in place for the duration of this work (expected to be a few weeks) and may be in place for up to 3-4 months if further works are approved.
Section of highway where the clearance work will be undertaken.
