And the problem is ... a drop-out creeping up to the edge of the road. Photo / Paul Taylor
And the problem is ... a drop-out creeping up to the edge of the road. Photo / Paul Taylor
Questions are being asked about how Hawke's Bay's most vital road link has reached a stage of risk of sudden closure at a drop-out site at the edge of the road between Napier and Taupo.
Leading the charge, Regional Transport Committee chairman and Hawke's Bay Regional Council member Martin Williams says it's "appalling" that he and committee members have only heard of the situation this week, when national highways management agency Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency confirmed it had been monitoring the State Highway 5 site since damage in heavy rain in late March and early April.
But daily users, such as truck drivers, believe the NZTA has known about the situation more generally for a year or more.
The stretch of Napier-Taupo Highway now under traffic management because of a drop-out threatening the road between Tarawera and Te Haroto. Photo / Paul Taylor
In just four days the agency went from saying on Monday that contractors have been closely monitoring the dropout and that there is "no significant risk currently of the road continuing to drop away" to closing a sector of the southbound lane between Tarawera and Te Haroto and installing traffic lights to limit traffic to one-way at a time while geotechnical engineers move in for an inspection.
Traffic was queuing on Friday morning even before the about 4 kilometres of cones pylons and other traffic management was in place, with fears there could be many months of disruption.
Williams says it's a sign the "regions" have been ignored – evidence a new expressway in Waikato with a speed limit of 110km/h, and an 80km/h speed limit for more than 70km on the Napier-Taupo road because of deficiencies in the upgrading of the highway to meet the need.
Williams, saying he doesn't want to yet be "pointing the finger at anyone" in particular, says he will be "asking questions" and wants "immediate answers" – not just promises of business cases.
He says the highway is "absolutely pivotal" in the region's links to the north, putting the region at significant risk if a closure were to take place for any length of time.
Such risks had been highlighted by the eventual closure of major south arterial link the Manawatu Gorge, closed since 2017 with a replacement not due to open until the end of 2014.
The edge of the drop-out between Tarawera and Te Haroto comes to within a metre of the edge of the highway, but also appears to be starting to undermine the road.
Truck drivers have been expressing fears about the dangers, including the possibility the road could collapse beneath the weight of heavy vehicles.
The situation for motorists at times during a southbound lane while engineers look for answers at the site at the edge of State Highway 5 between Tarawera and Te Haroto. Photo / Paul Taylor
In a late-Thursday statement, NZTA Hawke's Bay System Manager Martin Colditz said the decision to close the lane past the dropout on the advice of a geotechnical engineer - "to move traffic further away from the slip face."
"This will allow contractors to continue work to manage stormwater through the area safely and avoid the risk of traffic causing any further damage to the road while we identify the best course of action, next steps and timeframes for repair," he said.
Engineers will be on-site late next week, after which the NZTA expects to provide an update to the public.
In the meantime, the site will remain under traffic light control with a 50km/h temporary speed limit, and there will be restrictions for oversized loads, he said.
"Please slow down, take extra care and be patient," Colditz said.
Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst, whose district extends over about half of the Napier-Taupo road, said: "This is frustrating for motorists and the movement of freight to and from our region."
"It highlights the need for more investment in maintenance and road improvements on this part of State Highway 5," she said. "The Napier-Taupō state highway is a strategically important connection from our region to the north.'
"We are still waiting for a business case and a long term funding commitment from Waka Kotahi for strategic improvements to State Highway 5," she said.
Highway upgrade campaigner Axel Alexander says the slip has "been there for over a year – possibly one-and-a-half years" and suspects NZTA had not done anything other than put in place plastic mesh fencing and monitor the site because of funding issues.
"The remedial work for this piece of highway needs to be expedited," he said as he heard of the announcement. "Having trucks stopping on hill will end up causing more issues than necessary."
"It's plain and simple that previous comments by NZTA are now negated if they have to go to this length to protect people," he said.
