A reminder overnight closures are on the way for a stretch of State Highway 2 Hawke’s Bay Expressway.

Media release 4 July 2025(external link)

The expressway, between the Taradale Road and Pākōwhai Road/Links Road roundabouts, will be closed each night, for a week, between Sunday 3 August and Friday 8 August. The road will close each night at 8pm and reopen at 5am the following morning. The work will be finished by 5am Friday 8 August.

The closures will allow road surface testing to be carried out as part of the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance project.

Work will be completed in sections – one section and one direction each night:

• On Sunday night, the work will focus on Taradale Road roundabout to Meeanee overbridge – the northbound lane will remain open
• On Monday night, the work will focus on Meeanee overbridge to Taradale Road roundabout – the southbound lane will remain open
• On Tuesday night, the work will focus on Meanee overbridge to Pākōwhai Road/Links Road roundabout – the northbound lane will remain open
• On Wednesday night, the work will focus on Pākōwhai Road/Links Road roundabout to Meeanee overbridge – the southbound lane will remain open

The 5th night – Thursday – is an extra night only if needed.

During the closures, detours will be in place:

• When the closure is Meeanee Rd to Pākōwhai Rd, the detour in place is for all vehicles up to 50MAX. The detour is: Pākōwhai Road to Te Ara Kahikatea, onto State Highway 51, to Awatoto Road then onto Meeanee Road (and reverse). This detour is not suitable for HMPV (that are not 50MAX permitted vehicles). HPMV’s will be held within the closure and allowed through when it is safe to do so. A reminder that Redclyffe Bridge through Waiohiki has an 8 tonne weight restriction.
• When the closure is between Meeanee Rd to Taradale Rd, the detour is via Taradale Road, Kennedy Road, Gloucester Street, onto Lee Road and onto Meeanee Road.

During the closure, there will be access at all times for emergency vehicles, and HPMV and over-dimensioned vehicles will be able to queue at the closure points to be escorted through the site once the road testing vehicle clears the site.

NZTA will also take the opportunity to carry out other maintenance activities during the closures.

Sunday closure

A reminder too of this Sunday night’s closure (27 July) between Prebensen Drive and Taradale Road, for routine maintenance.

Traffic bulletin 22 July 2025(external link)

The closure will take place between 8pm and 5am Monday morning, with a raft of maintenance planned.

Detour routes for the August closures: