Disruption coming for motorists on SH2 east of Paengaroa

There will be reduced speed limits through the worksites.

Disruption is expected on State Highway 2 between Paengaroa and Matatā, with road rehabilitation work due to start next week.

Work on the first of two sections of road is due to start on Monday, with motorists warned to expect delays.

“The work will be disruptive,” says Sandra King, New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) system manager of maintenance and operations in the Bay of Plenty, “but the benefit is that once it’s done, it will mean better driving over a new pavement surface for everyone.”

To minimise disruption to motorists, the two pieces of work are being done in the same time period.

Assuming the weather is good, the first out of the blocks and beginning on August 19 is a 1.2km section of SH2 between Tainui Rd and Pongakawa Station Rd. The job will start with minor earthworks to remove topsoil grass off the road shoulders. Drainage and road pavement work will follow.

From August 27, work gets under way on a 350m section of SH2 at the intersection of Ōtamarākau Valley Rd. Road pavement works will follow once the drainage work is complete.

Work on both sites is scheduled from Monday to Saturday each week between 6am and 6pm. During the hours of work, stop/go traffic management will be in place, with reduced speed limits through the work site.

In total, the work is expected to take around eight weeks to complete, with contractors returning at the end of March to add a second coat to the road surface prior to next winter.

“Even though the maintenance season does not officially start until October, contractors are gearing up early to get ahead of a hefty workload. There’s a lot to do this season and we’re planning the schedule to ensure the work can be done as efficiently as possible.

“We appreciate any road work causes inconvenience, and we thank road users for their patience while we improve SH2,” says Sandra.