Second phase of ground works beginning on HB Expressway project

Work begins next month alongside Tutaekuri River Bridge on Hawke’s Bay Expressway as the 4 laning Roads of National Significance project continues.

In the past few months, crews have been working alongside Kennedy Road offramp to clear vegetation and have laid repurposed safe, tested silt from the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, provided by the Silt Recovery Taskforce.

This is to raise the level of the land and create a wide, flat surface for construction of the 4 laning project to begin later next year, once the silt has compacted.

Between 8 January and 31 March, crews will be taking the same approach further south, alongside the Tutaekuri River Bridge.

During this time, there will be a temporary 70km/h speed limit through this area and road users will notice a lot of activity off to the side of the northbound lane, including vegetation removal from mid-January and silt transportation and construction from the beginning of February.

In February, the Rotary cycle path and walkway will be slightly realigned and there will, at times, be work site trucks crossing a small section of it. There will be traffic management to ensure all truck drivers will be slowing to a stop before crossing the path for the safety of all users and there will be people on site keeping the path clear for users.

Upcoming night closures in late January

From Monday 20 to Friday 25 January, sections of SH2 Hawke’s Bay Expressway will be closed from 8pm to 5am each night for a range of maintenance work. The work will be finished by 5am on Friday 25 January.

There are local road detours available which are expected to add 5-10 minutes to people’s journeys.

• 20 – 21 Jan – Between Prebensen Drive and Taradale Rd roundabouts, closed for 3 nights – Local road detour suitable for all vehicles.
• 22 Jan – Kennedy Rd on ramp, closed for 1 night. Local road detour suitable for all vehicles.
• 22 – 24 Jan – Between Meeanee Rd and Pākōwhai Rd/Links Rd, closed for 3 nights. Local road detour not suitable for heavy vehicles.

Crews will be sealing the Kennedy Road onramp, sealing between Prebensen Dr and Taradale Rd, and between Meeanee and Pākōwhai/Links Rds, and other work including median barrier replacement and lane marking.

Detours are available and will be clearly signposted. The last closure will finish at 5am Saturday 25 January.

The HB Expressway 4 laning project team will also take the opportunity during the closures to install a temporary steel barrier as part of the Tutaekuri River Bridge work.

The barrier was in place during the Kennedy Road offramp work, and keeps moving traffic separate from the worksite, minimising the number of road cones needed.

Hawke’s Bay Expressway Roads of National Significance

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) Regional Manager of Infrastructure Delivery, Rob Partridge says the section of the Hawke’s Bay Expressway between the roundabouts at Taradale Road and Pākōwhai /Links Road is the focus for Stage 1 of the project. 

“It’s the most congested section during peak traffic.  

“The work already completed at the Kennedy Road offramp and the work at Tutaekuri River Bridge will allow us to build the approaches to the new bridge,” says Rob Partridge.

“The ground will be compacted and monitored over a period of at least 12 months, allowing the ground to settle and consolidate sediment prior to future construction works.

“Hawke’s Bay Expressway is critical part of the region’s roading network. The project to 4 lane this stretch of it is really exciting and will serve the growth of the region for decades to come.”