Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is constructing a slow vehicle bay 2km south of Raupunga, on the southern lane of a steep and winding section of State Highway 2.
The project will see a 650m slow vehicle bay constructed just after southbound traffic pass under the Mohaka Rail Viaduct, so vehicles can safely pass slower vehicles on the uphill climb.
The work is being done as part of the SH2 and SH35 Passing Opportunities project, which comes under the wider $32.5 million Connecting Tairāwhiti programme funded by Kānoa – Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit. It aims to reduce driver frustration by providing more safe places to pass and more places to pull off the road to check messages or take a break on SH2 and SH35.
The contractors will be onsite over the next few months completing enabling works ready to start in September.
From September, earthworks will begin to carve away approximately 39,000 cubic metres of hillside before paving and sealing completes the project in March 2023. During this time, temporary speed reductions and Stop/Go traffic management will be in place and people are encouraged to plan for delays of up to five minutes.
Visit the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner website for up-to-date information about the works.
Journey Planner(external link)
Waka Kotahi thanks everyone for their patience while we undertake this important work.
Above: Kuki Green (Ngāti Pāhauwera, 4th from left) shared a karakia to mark the start of construction with (from left) Andrew Harvey, David Yee, Dean Hardy (Fulton Hogan), Jacob Laird (Waka Kotahi) and Brylee Thomson (WSP).
