Investment into improvements for State Highway 2 in Wairarapa continue, with a road rebuild at Clareville due to start from Monday, 4 May until end of May.

It follows the completion of similar work in Carterton in March.

Contractors will be rebuilding the highway, just north of the Hughes Line intersection. 

Here the road pavement has reached the end of its working life and needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. This will make the drive between Carterton and Masterton noticeably better, as it will be much smoother and safer to drive over.

A southbound road closure will be in place Monday to Friday between 7am and 7pm until approximately mid-May. 

Then, a night-time stop/go will be in place Sunday to Thursday nights between 8pm and 4:30am until the works are complete. An updated schedule will be shared when exact timings are confirmed. 

The southbound detour will be via East Taratahi Road and Hughes Line. Drivers will need to allow for extra travel time while the road rebuild is underway.

Contractors will excavate to around 170mm and build it up again with layers of structural asphalt. The result will be a new section of highway with a foundation that will last for 25 years and a new road surface that is expected to last 10 to 12 years. It will also have improved skid resistance. 

This means it will require much less ongoing maintenance over the coming years and will provide a safer and more durable highway for drivers. 

The work is weather dependent. Road rebuilds require dry weather to be completed successfully. While extra time has been factored in to account for wet weather, schedules may change. Regular updates will be provided to keep the community informed.

Works schedule and detour

• Work area 1: Monday, 4 May, to approximately mid-May.
  • SH2 CLOSED to southbound traffic with a detour via East Taratahi and Hughes Line while work is underway in area 1 (see map below)
  • The closures will be in place Monday to Friday between 7 am and 7 pm. A temporary speed limit will be in place at all other times
  • The highway will remain OPEN to northbound traffic under a 30 km/h temporary speed limit.
     
• Work area 2: Mid-May to approximately end of May
  • SH2 and Hughes Line will have stop/go traffic management at night between 8 pm and 4:30 am when work is underway in area 2 (see map below)
  • Hughes Line access to SH2 will also be closed at times while work is underway in the southbound lane.

Journey planner - Area warning - SH2 Clareville(external link)