State Highway 35 Fully Reopened

Transport Minister Chris Bishop announced 24 hour access has been restored for the entire length of State Highway 35.

“Crews have been working since the end of January to restore access after the road was hit by heavy rainfall and large slips, above and under the road," Bishop said.

Work has included road widening, removal of dirt from slips and installing additional drainage. 

While many will be relieved access is now fully restore, Bishop said caution is still needed when traveling on the road. 

"There's no sugar coating it. SH35 suffered extensive damage in January and work will be continuing for some time."

Temporary traffic management and reduced speeds will still be in place along the road as work continues.

This week work began on a retaining wall at the Waikura under slip to make the site more resilient for the future. 

East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick has welcomed the news, thanking the contractors for their tireless work to restore access.  

"To the residents, farmers and businesses this will give more surety and is one more cog in the recovery journey," she said. 

The work needed to open the road so quickly after the rain event "is testament to the hard work of NZTA crews, many of whom are local and have been personally affected by the road closures too," Bishop said. 

The road from Pōtaka to Hicks Bay was opened around the clock last week after intensive work at the Waikura underslip to widen the road. 

NZTA Incident Controller Richard Bayley said work included "putting more metal down on the ground and completing new drainage work, to keep water away from the road."

He advised those using the road during the night to take extra care and drive to conditions through the area, which include lower speed limits and traffic management.