The NZ Transport Agency says State Highway 11 past the Lemon's Hill slip will be open 24 hours a day to one way traffic from 4pm Wednesday.
There will be stop/go traffic management in place to control safe and orderly travel past the slip site.
Hundreds of motorists have been using the road that links Paihia and Kawakawa since limited opening hours started on April 23.
“We’ve been promising this day would come, so it’s great to finally tell our Northland customers that the road is open all hours,” says the Transport Agency’s Northland System Manager Jacqui Hori-Hoult.
“We know that asking people to use the detour route was an inconvenience and a financial burden for some, so we thank everyone for their patience and understanding.”
Over size vehicles will still have to go via the detour route and the 24/7 opening hours will be subject to daily safety and weather checks. Ms Hori-Hoult says the road could still be closed at short notice.
There will be planned road closures over the coming weeks - on Sundays from 8am-5pm, weather dependent. The first planned closure this Sunday will be confirmed later this week.
Our teams will continue to work on site while the road is open. We ask drivers to be vigilant, drive to the road conditions and adhere to the temporary speed limit. The safety of our work crews and all other road users remains our priority, says Ms Hori-Hoult.
When the road is closed, the sign posted detour is via State Highways 1, 10 and 11 and may take an extra 30 minutes.
Locals can sign up at http://www.nzta.govt.nz/sh11-lemons-hill-slip(external link) to receive an email update on slip clearing progress and details of how and when the road will be closed. Or go to http://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/sh11(external link)
Open all hours: the view from the road of the Lemons Hill slip on SH11 between Paihia and Kawakawa
