Truck spill closes Saddle Rd, key highway route Woodville to Manawatū

Saddle Rd, between Woodville and Ashhurst, was closed for several hours on Friday because of a spill. Photo / NZME

State Highway traffic into and out of Hawke’s Bay was again disrupted on Friday when temporary Woodville to Manawatū key route Saddle Rd was closed because of a spill from a truck.

The spill was reported about 2.30am.

Police and state highways management agency Waka Kotahi NZTA had expected the road, a windy hill road which has been the main route since the closure of State Highway 3 through the Manawatū Gorge five years ago, would be closed until early afternoon.

NZTA announced about 10.45am it had reopened, but with temporary speed limits of 30km/h, to be reviewed later in the day, and was advising motorists to take extra care, and be aware of the extra time needed for their journeys.

Saddle Rd is the preferred temporary main highway route with an alternative through the Pahiatua Track, pending the opening of the $620km, 11.5km Te Ahu a Turanga Manawatu Tararua Highway, scheduled for the end of next year.

Its closure came at a time when there were also stop-go measures in place at maintenance and roadworks sites on main-road SH2 in the vicinities of Matamau, between Dannevirke and Norsewood, and Mt Bruce, between Eketahuna and Masterton.

Bad weather forced closures or disruption on all the main northern routes in and out of Hawke’s Bay last week.

More than 1100 people will be able to see the progress in walks on the new route on Sunday, with a choice of 6km or 12km and organised by Woodville Lions Club and Woodville School.

Having run two previous walks on the route, in 2020 and 2021 (when 650 took part), organisers didn’t know what to expect by numbers for the look at the now substantially under-construction highway.

With 300 on each of the first three of the five walks, with starts from 9am to 1pm, a fleet of seven buses will ferry people to the start sites.

A total of 52 volunteers will help with martialing, parking and other issues.