Essential maintenance to ensure the safety and resilience of the Bay of Plenty’s state highways will continue this week.
Safely maintaining New Zealand’s state highways is considered vital at this time to help ensure the safe movement of essential goods like medical supplies to hospitals and food to supermarkets during New Zealand’s COVID-19 response.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Bay of Plenty System Manager Rob Campbell asks people to remember any contractors they might see out on our state highways are carrying out essential work to keep everyone safe.
“Be patient and respectful and look out for their safety and wellbeing. These people are stepping outside their bubbles to do vital work to keep us safe and we all owe them our thanks.”
Resealing work on SH29A Maungatapu roundabout will get underway from Monday, with contractors possibly on site Sunday to set up.
Contractors will be on site between 6am and 6pm. During the works Stop/Go traffic management will be operating, and a 30km/h temporary speed limit will be in place 24/7 until works are complete.
The skid resistance of the roundabout has reached a stage where it must be replaced as soon as possible. If we were to leave this work until after winter, it would pose a safety risk to road users and completing the work during winter conditions would hinder the new seal’s ability to stick to the road surface and increase the likelihood of pot holes and other defects.
For more information, please see the Traffic bulletin(external link) issued today.
Works to complete road reconstruction on these two sections of SH2 are expected to be finished this week, with sweeping and road marking due to completed by Friday 24 April.
The site will be under a combination of 30km/h and 50km/h temporary speed restrictions until the road marking is completed.
This work will allow Waka Kotahi’s contractors to complete work on what is currently an active work site and seal the road ahead of winter to ensure the road remains safe for all road users.
Works to clear deck joints at the below bridges will likely be started during the day next week:
This work will take place under temporary speed limits of 30km/h or 50km/h and lane closures.
Regularly undertaking this work is essential for the ongoing safe operation of these bridges.
Various rumble strip installation and road marking works will continue at locations on the above-mentioned highways next week, commencing Sunday 19 April. This work will be done at night to minimise disruption.
These are important long-term safety improvements for the highway, as they are used to separate road lanes, aid road users driving at night and help prevent vehicles accidentally leaving the road.
Works to repair an unstable section of embankment on SH2 at Oponae, three kilometres east of Waiata Road in the Waioeka Gorge, will continue this week and are expected to be completed before the end of May.
The embankment was previously damaged during heavy rain and has since been reduced to one lane under priority Give Way.
Temporary traffic management will be in place for the duration of the work, including a 30km/h temporary speed limit. Stop/Go traffic management will be in place from 6am–5pm and traffic lights in place overnight from 5pm–6am, Monday to Friday. Some weekend work may be required.
Completing this work now will ensure this section of road is robust enough to remain open despite the high river levels that are normal in winter.
For more information, please see the Traffic bulletin(external link) issued earlier this month.
Critical routine maintenance will continue to happen on state highways across the region next week. This might include road surfacing repairs, drainage and vegetation works, line marking, rumble strip and signage installation or replacement.
Mr Campbell encourages people to stay safe and stay home, and only travel to access or provide essential services or supplies.
“Stay safe, stay home and save lives. If you are on the roads, take care, watch out for walkers and cyclists, drive to the conditions and obey the speed limits.”
While Waka Kotahi does its best to provide up-to-date information, given the current operating environment under the COVID-19 alert system Level 4 some road works may change at short notice, and people are encouraged to visit the Waka Kotahi’s Journey Planner website (journeys.nzta.govt.nz(external link)) for real time information about their journeys.
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