Roading Recovery

In the immediate aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, Council’s roading team and contractors focussed on reconnecting communities and restoring access as quickly as possible. This meant the rapid installation of 10 temporary bridges, clearing hundreds of slips and culverts and putting measures in place to protect the damaged roading network.

While some larger programmes of emergency works such as clearing large and complex slips along Dartmoor Road are still ongoing, the focus now is on repair and restoration. The full 1,640 kilometres of roading network has been inspected and a programme of rebuilds and repairs has been developed with an estimated cost of $800 million. Due to the scale and complexity of the work required, this will likely take seven to ten years to be completed. It includes repairing 80 bridges damaged by the cyclone, rebuilding the 13 permanent bridges and five large culverts that were completely destroyed, engineering solutions to the 212 large and complex slips remaining as well as repairing and restoring roads damaged in the cyclone. We need people driving on the network to continue to help us look after the temporary bridges and diversion routes while this programme is implemented by observing weight and speed limits.

In some places like Kererū Gorge and Puketapu, temporary structures were not feasible, and communities remain physically disconnected. These areas are priorities for restoring permanent structures. Hastings District Council is also prioritising work based on the vulnerability of roads to new weather events, levels of road use and the numbers of people affected.

Permanent solutions to sites with large and complex damage (e.g. major landslides and slips, missing bridges) are being investigated and designed. These projects often involve geotechnical investigations and surveying during the design phase before construction. Progress is being made, but you may notice smaller tasks completed while larger sites are temporarily untouched. You may also see some intermittent work at larger sites as they are secured against potential weather events.

If you have any concerns about a particular area requiring maintenance or attention, please report these via the Hastings District Council website or by calling (06) 871 5000. Doing so, will ensure this work is allocated to available contractors as a matter of priority.

In the event of road accidents or dangerous driving, please report these to Police.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE HASTINGS DISTRICT ROADING RECOVERY UPDATE - MARCH 2024

To find out more about the different areas of transport recovery work currently underway, click on the tiles below.