Major work to reduce flood closures on one of the most vulnerable stretches of State Highway 2 has wrapped up two months ahead of schedule, with an 850-metre section at Hakanui Straight near Te Karaka raised by about three metres.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the upgrade targets a spot that was often the first to go under in heavy rain, shutting the highway and cutting access for communities and emergency services. During Cyclone Gabrielle, about 500 residents in the area evacuated as floodwaters entered homes, businesses and the local marae. The SH2 section being upgraded was flooded at the time.

The project included:

• Lifting the road formation by roughly three metres
• Diverting part of the Hakanui Stream through a new 1.8-metre culvert designed to carry more water and allow fish passage
• Upgraded drainage and safety barriers
• Bank planting to stabilise the Hakanui River margins

Officials say the works held up during late-January rain and the local impacts of Cyclone Vaianu, even before everything was complete.

Funding comes through the Government’s state highway recovery allocation in Budget 2024, which set aside $609.25 million to restore roads after Cyclone Gabrielle. The Hakanui Straight job, along with work at Rototahe on SH35, was advanced after “efficiencies” were found in the North Island Weather Event recovery programme. The release did not state the standalone cost of the Hakanui Straight section.

Transport Rebuild East Coast (TREC) led delivery with Te Aitanga a Māhaki and a group of local contractors including Jesse James Contracting, Earthworks Solutions, JT Contractors, Protraffic, Electrinet, Fulton Hogan, Jquip, Decostas and GCA BBL.

While only a short piece of highway is affected, it sits at a key low point that has historically forced repeated closures. Officials say the aim is to reduce those disruption points across SH2 and SH35 so communities and freight can keep moving when storms arrive. Further resilience work on the corridors continues under the wider recovery programme.