State Highway 25, south of Tairua, is to be closed overnight to all traffic for five nights between 8pm and 6am this week with motorists told to detour through Coromandel township in the north.
The closures got underway on Sunday to allow for maintenance and repairs to the single lane Hikuai Stream Bridge, just south of Tairua, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said.
Affected road users would need to detour via SH25, looping through Coromandel township in the north, the agency said.
“While this is essential maintenance work, we do appreciate this road closure involves a lengthy detour and will be disruptive.”
Work would include digging out and replacing capping beams; components that span the full width of the road at each end of the bridge.
Steel plates would be placed over the excavations, and a temporary speed restriction would be in place, allowing traffic to cross safely during the day.
“We’ll also be doing some further maintenance during this closure, including resurfacing the eastern approach to the bridge and repairs to the bridge deck.”
This work was weather-dependent, and the agency said it would provide updates if dates needed to change.
“We explored the option of opening the road for a short period each night to allow convoys of traffic to pass, however this would impact work progress and extend overall disruption as additional night closures would be required.
“We are working with emergency services to ensure they can be accommodated if required.”
Work to stabilise two of the three slip faces on SH25 at Ruamahunga Bay is finished and NZTA is focusing on the third and final face. It is expected that the work will continue until July.
SH25 recovery works progress
Work to stabilise two of the three slip faces on SH25 at Ruamahunga Bay is finished and NZTA is now focusing on the third and final face with work to continue until July.
Helicopters were still being used to deliver equipment and supplies to the top of the slope.
That required a series of short road closures so the helicopter could operate over the road and would be done across the middle of the day.
Elsewhere around the SH25 loop, work was finished at the underslip at Wharekaho, Kereta, and initial works at Te Kouma and Pumpkin Hill.
The road was back to its full two-lane width through the sites.
Teams were now working on repairs at Whiritoa Hill, and at second sites at Te Kouma and Pumpkin Hill.
Stop/go traffic management was in place at each of those sites.
Elsewhere across the region, teams were working on repairs to SH2 in the Karangahake Gorge and on SH27 at Kaihere.
“As we move into the wetter winter months, our focus will turn to drainage and culvert repairs at numerous locations around the peninsula,” the agency said.
“Work that involves significant earthworks will need to pause during that time but will begin again in earnest as we move into spring and summer.”
Thames-Coromandel District Council road repairs
Neavesville Road, Puriri - slip repair
Work was scheduled to begin today, to repair slip damage at the 1.72km mark from the junction with SH26.
The work was expected to be completed by Friday, June 7.
