4 November 2011

Construction of Taneatua rail overbridge detour to start next week

Work will get underway next week to bypass the bridge across the railway on State Highway 2 (SH2) near Taneatua reports the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA).

Brett Gliddon, the NZTA’s Bay of Plenty State Highway Manager, says a detour is needed as recent inspections show the 85 year old bridge is nearing the end of its serviceable life.

Waiotahi Contractors Limited was awarded the contract to construct the detour and the works will commence next week.

Brett Gliddon said the project will be phased with construction of the detour starting immediately, and further work to establish a long term solution to realign SH2 to start in approximately 12 months time.

He said State Highway 2 is an important local connector and regional freight route and this project is vital so the rail overbridge does not become a safety concern.

Before traffic is diverted, the detour route will be upgraded to cope with extra traffic. The upgrade includes straightening, smoothing, paving and improving visibility, signage and road markings.

Construction of the detour will take approximately one month and there will be a permanent 30km/h speed restriction in place during construction.

“We expect traffic will be diverted onto the detour route about mid December and the rail overbridge will be permanently closed.” says Mr Gliddon.

Construction of the long term solution to realign SH2 is likely to start next year. And as well as the safety benefits, this project will help improve the security of this important regional freight route and travel time.

ENDS

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