Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
Waka Kotahi is advising local residents and regular users of State Highway 2 through Tararua to allow extra time for travel as the planned rebuild of a 420m long section of the road south of Norsewood gets underway early next week.
Stop/Go traffic management will be in place at the site near the intersection with Edgeley Road between 6am and 6pm, Mondays to Saturdays, from 7 November through to 3 December. A 30km/h temporary speed limit will be in place through the site while work is underway.
Waka Kotahi Acting System Manager Manawatū-Whanganui-Taranaki, Aarin Bang, says the work will make this section of highway stronger and more resilient.
“This section of road has had multiple layers of seal applied in the past, and it is now due for a full renewal.”
Mr Bang says the work is weather dependent and may be postponed at short notice. Following completion of these works, contractors will move further up SH2 to undertake a road renewal north of Norsewood near the intersection with Jens Anderson Road.
“Contractors will also begin work in November on over 20 sections of SH2 in Tararua that need just a new layer of seal rather than full rebuild, to keep them safe for use,” Mr Bang says.
“In some cases, this is a second coat seal following a rebuild carried out last year. This is standard practice and ensures that there is a thick, durable and waterproof layer on these sections of road.”
The work in Tararua is part of New Zealand’s largest ever programme of road renewal work. Nationally, Waka Kotahi is planning to reseal or re-build approximately 2,450 lane kilometres of state highway, equivalent to 10% of the entire state highway network.
Crews have already been out and about on SH2 in Tararua undertaking pre-reseal repairs and patching at sites to be resealed over the coming months, which is another reason people may see workers at the same site twice.
At Otanga, north of Dannevirke, where the road was reinstated to two lanes recently after having been reduced to one due to an underslip, Mr Bang says the new temporary layout is working well.
“The 30km/h speed limit remains in place through the site and people are asked to abide with this limit for safety reasons.”
Waka Kotahi thanks everyone for their patience and understanding while these works on SH2 in Tararua are underway.
