Traffic is back in both directions on SH1 over the Brynderwyns, south of Whangārei, after the route was fully reopened on Monday morning.
Traffic is back in both directions on SH1 over the Brynderwyns, south of Whangārei, after the route was fully reopened on Monday morning.
Ahead of the planned reopening of the State Highway 1 over the Brynderwyns, there were plenty holding their breath as a big storm loomed with heavy rain and strong wind warnings.
But the highway passed the latest test ahead of its reopening on Monday with no more damage caused by the storm.
Access over the hills via SH1, about 45km south of Whangārei, has been restricted after Cyclone Gabrielle caused several slips in early February, and due to an earlier closure because of storm damage - with heavy rain and strong winds causing all the problems.
Since then, the highway over the hill has been been fully closed or down to one lane during repair work. Both lanes were reopened over Easter but then closed again for a permanent fix on April 17, with a plan to reopen it on Monday.
However, MetService on Saturday warned it expected up to 220 millimetres of rain and peak rainfall amounts to reach 25mm/hour in Northland, causing some concern among Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency staff ahead of the planned reopening.
Waka Kotahi crews have been working on three big slips on the Brynderwyn Hills in order to get SH1 south of Whangārei reopened both ways on Monday morning.
A Waka Kotahi spokesperson said SH1 over the Brynderwyn Hills was opened in both directions for all traffic without any further problems on Monday morning following a karakia from mana whenua.
A critical route for both people and freight, Waka Kotahi contractors ensured the two-week closure was fully maximised to carry out major earthworks and drainage installation so the road could reopen as quickly and safely as possible.
The spokesperson said crews worked on three overslips on the Brynderwyns, where the hillside was reformed and loose material was removed to make it safer. Extra drainage was also installed to help to future-proof stormwater resilience. Underslips were stabilised and pavement repairs were completed on other sections of the road, including hydroseeding (planting) over slip areas and general maintenance.
“Given the wet weather, we ask all drivers to please drive to the conditions, keep left and adhere to the temporary speed limits. Please also be kind to our people who will continue to be on the road carrying out final works,” the spokesperson said.
Waka Kotahi will continue to closely monitor the road and weather conditions, and the road may be closed at short notice should conditions become unsafe for road users.
The reopening will provide some relief for those living on the road, or having to use the lengthy detours in place while the highway was closed.
Motorists have had to take major detours to get to and from the region, which has put huge pressure on roads that were not designed to handle the amount of traffic.
The Oakleigh-Paparoa Highway route is getting badly degraded because of the extra traffic, which is also putting pressure on SH12 from the southern end of the Brynderwyns through Maungaturoto, Dargaville and on to Whangārei, which has been the only route for heavy trucks.
The road through Waipū and Mangawhai to Kaiwaka has also been put under enormous pressure as a result of detoured traffic.
Meanwhile, the southbound lane on SH1 between Wellsford and Warkworth is also now open following an overnight closure on Sunday to repair an underslip.
