SH2 north of Ōpōtiki open again

State Highway 2 north at the slip-affected site north of Opotiki reopened to all traffic at 5pm yesterday afternoon.

State Highway 2 north at the site of the major slip north of Ōpōtiki reopened late yesterday afternoon.

The big slip came down on to the highway at Waiotahe Beach overnight last Sunday and the road was closed at that point all week.

“NZTA contractors have worked incredibly hard to clear the slip as fast as possible and get the road reopened,” NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi Bay of Plenty system manager Sandra King said.

“The first step was getting our geotechnical engineers to assess whether the slip was still moving and what risk was posed by the remaining pōhutukawa trees at the top of the cliff.

“The trees had to be removed before contractors could safely begin work on slip clearance.”

Crews then worked all-hours through Wednesday and Thursday nights to get the huge amount of material removed.

“We recognise their dedication and hard mahi in getting SH2 back open to the public as fast as possible,” King said. “Further work will be required in areas outside the lanes next week, which may require stop/go traffic management to repair the wire rope barrier.”