Stop/go traffic management has been in place at Mangorewa Gorge on State Highway 36 since May 11. Photo / Maryana Garcia
Roadworks on highways at two of Rotorua’s northern entrances are creating chokepoints some motorists are struggling to avoid.
A slip 40m wide has reduced SH36 through the Mangorewa Gorge, which runs between Hamurana and Pyes Pa, to one lane until at least mid-July as Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency works on a permanent fix that could take six months.
At the same time, major roadworks at the intersection of Te Ngae Rd and State Highways 30 and 33 - the Whakatāne turnoff - have doubled travel times for some motorists. It’s just one of several hazards on SH30 in Rotorua.
About 3200 vehicles go through Mangorewa Gorge daily with about 10 per cent being heavy trucks. At the SH30/33 Whakatane junction roundabout, there are about 13,000 vehicles per weekday, although this drops to 11,000 at weekends, according to Waka Kotahi.
Karl Merriman, of fencing business Kustomworks, said getting through the gorge had been “pretty slow” since the roadworks started in May.
His business is based on SH36/Pyes Pa Rd on the Tauranga side of the gorge and he said he was lucky he only had to drive to Rotorua about once a week.
“It just means it takes us a little longer to get to Rotorua if we have to head through there,” Merriman said.
“We do have to consider driving around Te Puke to get to Rotorua. But there are roadworks at that end too so it doesn’t make much of a difference.”
Merriman said on a good run the traffic management at the gorge lengthened his trip by five minutes each way.
“On a slow day, it takes about 20 minutes longer because you’re waiting in line.”
Tauranga Pistol Club secretary Leonard Jones said the club’s Rotorua members had been complaining about the one-lane drive through the gorge.
“It does take them longer to get to the range,” Jones said.
Jones, a Pyes Pa resident, said each time he had driven through the gorge his trip was about 8-10 minutes longer.
“There’s only a stop/go at each end and no work being done ever,” Jones said.
Hotshots Paintball business owner Vincent Knipmeijer said the stop/go on SH36 had not affected his business much but was “a bit annoying” when getting to work.
“I usually allow about 10 minutes extra but sometimes you can be lucky. It just depends on what time you get [to the gorge].”
Knipmeijer said he usually warned customers coming from Rotorua to allow for a longer drive.
A Waka Kotahi spokeswoman said the stop/go arrangement in the gorge could be in place until mid-July.
She said heavy rain had caused a 40m section of the verge along the highway to collapse into the valley below.
“In addition, there is another 30m of cracking to the south near the edge line.”
The spokeswoman said the average traffic delays were under five minutes.
“The traffic management has to be as long as it is to enable trucks to make it up the incline.”
The spokeswoman said the restrictions would be needed until the earthworks and rock removal needed for a lane to be moved towards the bank were finished.
“This is a temporary realignment while a permanent solution to the slip and cracking is being worked on. The new lane delineation will have a temporary speed reduction.”
It comes after the Rotorua Daily Post Weekend reported about how “major” roadworks at the intersection of Te Ngae Rd and State Highways 30 and 33 had doubled travel times for local businesses and residents.
Works to install a new roundabout at the busy intersection and a new right turn bay for SH30 traffic turning into Rangiteaorere Rd began in September. The project was estimated to cost about $6.4 million and is scheduled for completion this coming September.
Last week, Waka Kotahi issued a statement advising motorists to avoid the intersection if travelling to Fieldays, warning of up to 30-minute delays.
The statement said Waka Kotahi was “continually assessing flows and adjusting traffic management” at the intersection.
“Regardless, delays will occur,” the statement said.
“The contractors are doing all that they can to accelerate the programme to complete the works sooner than planned while maintaining safe working and driving conditions.
“Please drive with care as new road layout and traffic management arrangements will change.”
Other roadworks on SH30 include a road improvement project between Iles Rd and Owhata, while another stop/go is in place on Te Ngae Rd past Rotorua Airport for pavement repairs.
An underslip between SH34 and Matahi Rd at Lake Rotoma means SH30 is closed to westbound heavy vehicles with a detour via Matata and Paengaroa in place until further notice.
The same section of SH30 is still open to light vehicles travelling in both directions and eastbound heavy vehicles, with traffic being managed with a stop/go arrangement.
Meanwhile, as of yesterday, heavy rain has added more hazards to SH30 with surface flooding between Cookson Rd and Rotokawa Rd, a slip at Hauparu Bay and a dropout just west of Matahi Rd.
The slip and dropout had reduced SH30 to one lane with stop/go traffic management in place at those sections of the highway.
Maryana Garcia is a regional reporter writing for the Rotorua Daily Post and the Bay of Plenty Times. She covers local issues, health and crime.