It’s Friday night. The night before the second of two severe storm events to hit the Taranaki region last month.
The rain has already started.
While the rest of us are hunkering down, warm and dry, teams of Waka Kotahi road maintenance contractors are out, driving the state highway network in the wind and the rain, clearing and reporting hazards to help keep the road safe for those who need to use it.
Downer crews will respond to more than 50 call outs during the two weather events, ranging from flooding and slips to downed trees and powerlines.
And, Regional Manager Maintenance and Operations Jaclyn Hankin says, work didn’t finish when the rain stopped.
“It’s been an incredibly busy time for our contractors, who have worked hard to help keep our state highways open and safe for all road users, under some challenging conditions.
“Taranaki Regional Council rainfall data shows the 27 sites across the region where rainfall is captured received between 178% and 702% of normal rainfall for February, last month. This was mostly in the first two weekends.”
One of the areas most impacted was the Heimama Stream bridge, just north of Ōpunake on State Highway 45, with the heavy rain resulting in erosion of the stream bank upstream of the bridge.
“Fortunately, there was no damage to the bridge itself. However, if the erosion was to continue, such as in a future weather event, it might affect the bridge abutment,” Ms Hankin says.
“Over the past few weeks, our contractors installed 2,200 tonne of rock protection along the affected stream bank to prevent any further erosion and maintain the resilience of this section of SH45.
“This work is now complete, with the area around the bridge in much better shape to withstand any significant rain events in the future.”
No other bridges in the region were affected by the weather events, although there was minor damage to two culverts on SH45 near Ōakura that are currently being addressed. This area of SH45 will remain under temporary traffic management for the duration of the works.
A culvert at Waterfall Hill on State Highway 4 is also being assessed for damage caused by February’s heavy rainfall.
The poor weather also saw delays to State Highway 3 at Uruti reopening to two lanes, following a slip in December last year.
“Planned work to stabilise the slip was undertaken. However, due to the weather events, the site needed to be reassessed for safety.
“This assessment has now been completed, with the road cleared and fully reopened.
“Waka Kotahi is investigating more long-term solutions to stabilise the Uruti Valley area and reduce the risk of further slips,” Ms Hankin says.
During severe weather events, like those experienced last month, Ms Hankin asks motorists to be mindful of contractors who could be out clearing hazards off the road.
“We want to see everyone get home safely – road users and road workers alike. Stay safe and stay alert.”
Rock protection work at the Heimama Stream bridge on State Highway 45, north of Ōpunake
