SH2 Pekatahi Bridge takes a traffic holiday

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

The winter school holidays mean it’s time to wear a few more layers to the beach.

But school’s out also means maintenance is in for the Pekatahi Bridge.

The bridge, which is located north of Tāneatua on State Highway 2 (SH2) will close for 6 days for essential deck repairs from Monday 30 June.

This is part of much needed quarterly maintenance of Pekatahi Bridge for NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

The bridge will close daily from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday 30 June to Friday 4 July for structural work, included bridge surface plank replacement. It will close again from 8.30am to 4.30pm on Saturday 5 July for sealing work. If the weather is wet on Saturday, the contingency day is Monday 7 July. Sealing requires dry weather, so if Monday is also unsuitable, sealing may have to be undertaken under stop/stop at a later date.

“The bridge is narrow, and due to nature of the work, full daytime closures are required,” says Sandra King, NZTA’s System Manager for the Bay of Plenty. 

“We understand this is an important route and the closure is disruptive, but closing the bridge allows contractors to carry out repairs safely.

“This essential maintenance work has been programmed for the school holidays when traffic volumes are lower, and no school buses will be on the road.

“Contractors will be using the closure to its full potential by repairing and replacing broken and loose decking planks and carrying out other general maintenance such as checking surfacing screws and resurfacing,” Ms King says.

A detour will be in place for all traffic; northbound using Tāneatua Road, Arawa Road, Hinemoa Street and onto SH30 towards Awakeri and southbound traffic will use the same route in reverse. This detour is expected to add up to 20 minutes to journey times and is suitable for all vehicles, including High Productivity Motor Vehicles (HPMV). 

NZTA thanks Whakatāne District Council for allowing the detour route on their local roads and road users for their co-operation.  

Detour information below:

View larger/downloadable map [PNG, 342 KB]

MIL OSI