𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀-𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝗛𝟯 𝗿𝗲-𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗶

Motorists can again drive north on the highway from Taranaki which re-opened overnight after being closed for five days, adding hours to travel times.

Just before midnight traffic started flowing again on State Highway Three to Hamilton and beyond.

The highway had closed between Ahitītī and Urutī just after midnight on Friday morning for five days of 24-hour construction on the route.

The closure added almost two hours to the journey for whānau who travelled the winding

Forgotten Highway SH43 east of Stratford to near Taumarunui, before heading north.

There was no room for traffic as a crane lifted a new concrete box culvert into place. (Supplied)

Less confident drivers and heavy trucks had to head further south before again turning north on SH4 from Whanganui, or on SH1 from Bulls – adding three or four hours respectively.

Waka Kotahi NZTA said closing the road was necessary to build as quickly as possible a temporary Bailey bridge and a new box concrete culvert at Mangapēpeke.

Vehicles can now cross the single-lane Bailey bridge under stop-go control while further construction takes place but with delays limited to 15 minutes.

Waka Kotahi project manager Kendra Ludeke thanked crews and local communities for supporting the “essential” closure.

“Almost 3,000 vehicles typically travel SH3 every day and one fifth of them are heavy vehicles - mainly freight.

“Full closures are always disruptive, and we really appreciate people’s support and understanding.”

Ongoing delays of 15 minutes are expected at the single-lane Bailey bridge, installed temporarily so another culvert can be built. (Supplied)

Wet weather on the final day of the closure meant crews couldn’t lay asphalt over the new culvert and Ludeke said potholes were already forming due to the rain.

The area would be closely monitored and the sealing completed “at the earliest possible opportunity” under stop/go rules.

Crews will work in the area until April to replace a second culvert while traffic uses the temporary Bailey bridge.

Ludeke said the work was part of a nationwide programme to replace ageing bridges and culverts with modern structures.

There’d been no space for travellers to drive through the worksite given deep excavation with large open trenches, limited space, and heavy machinery including a crane on the road.

Replacing culverts “is always tricky” and invariably involved road closures to remove and replace drainage structures under the road.

“Keeping water away from the road is one of the most important ways to boost the resilience of the network and we need to ensure our culverts, bridges and other structures are as capable as possible of handling that water, diverting it away from the roading network,” said Ludeke.

New Plymouth’s mayor Max Brough had criticised the closure of SH3 during the holiday season.

𝙇𝘿𝙍 𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙢 𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙏𝙚 𝙆𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙤 𝙤 𝙏𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙠𝙞 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙏𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙤 𝙄𝙧𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞 𝙤 𝘼𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙖 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄𝙧𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞 𝙩𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙩𝙪