The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) advises that as part of its ongoing seismic strengthening programme, State Highway 2 at the Whatakao Stream Bridge near Aongatete, approximately nine kilometres south of Katikati, will be reduced to one lane for three weeks from Sunday 20 March to Sunday 10 April.
Speed will be restricted to 30km/h during this period and delays are inevitable. Rod James, the NZTA’s Bay of Plenty State Highway Manager recommends road users plan their trip to travel outside of peak times and allow additional time for their trip, or take an alternative route where at all possible.
“Contractors have been working on the $1.2 million project since last July. So far, they have built a new substructure of 12 new piles – two for each of the bridge’s four piers and two at each end. This stage of work involves ‘tying’ the new piles at each end of the substructure to the existing bridge to form one unit.
“A trench will be dug across the road at each end of the bridge and filled with concrete to effectively ‘tie’ the old bridge to the new piles. Traffic must be kept off the area to reduce movement and allow time for the concrete to cure and form a strong, permanent bond,” said Mr James.
Traffic will be under manual traffic control during the day with temporary traffic lights in place overnight.
The NZTA thanks road users for their cooperation and apologises for any inconvenience during these vital safety works.
