UPDATE: State Highway 2 Waioeka Gorge planned to re-open 24/7 later this week
The NZ Transport Agency says it is working to re-open the section of State Highway 2 affected by a slip in the Waioeka
Gorge 24hrs a day from Wednesday afternoon this week.
Transport Agency Regional Transport System Manager, Rob Campbell thanks motorists for their patience, however, due to
heavy rain over the past 24 hours we now expect the gorge will open 24/7 from Wednesday afternoon this week.
“Our contractors have worked hard over the weekend through the wet weather but the fabrication of safety fencing has
been delayed. Welding of the large steel sections and mesh could not be done in the wet, which means that several hours
were lost on Sunday afternoon. We want to allow motorists as much time as possible to plan their journey and make
alternative arrangements so are highlighting that overnight opening is likely to be achieved on Wednesday.”
Mr Campbell says the NZ Transport agency understands how important it is to get this vital route open 24 hours a day.
“We also want to remind motorists to drive to the conditions while travelling through the gorge at night and be aware
that there is another short section down to one lane. A small area of the river bank has been eroded by the high river
levels, we have closed one lane as a precaution to keep heavy vehicles away from the edge while a permanent fix is
designed,” says Rob
Since the initial slip came down on June 24, contractors have built a new lane to shift the road further away from the
face of the slip site and are over the next few days they are finishing off the installation of barriers and fences
before the road re-opens 24/7 next week.
Please remember that through until Wednesday the gorge will continue to open reduced hours. The outer closure points
will be opened at 6:45am and then closed again at 4:30pm. This ensures that vehicles can pass through the slip site
during daylight hours.