A stretch of State Highway 35 (SH35) between Ōpōtiki and Te Kaha will be down to one lane for six months from April 28 (weather permitting) as crews begin repairing slips near Te Kura o Tōrere.

The Transport Rebuild East Coast (TREC) team and Waiotahi Contractors will repair two slips, an underslip below the highway and an overslip above it.

Stop/go traffic management and speed restrictions will be in place until work finishes in November.

Drivers should allow for delays of 5 to 10 minutes during construction. 

To help keep travellers and roadworkers safe, a temporary safety barrier will be installed in the centre of the highway during construction and removed once work is complete. 

The project starts with stabilising the underslip before reinforced earth walls are built to secure the overslip. New drainage systems will improve stability and reduce groundwater pressure, making the area more resilient. 

Given the limited space, TREC has set up a site office on Kura grounds and crews will use the driveway at times, outside busy pick-up and drop-off periods. 

The TREC team is collaborating with Kura staff to keep tamariki (children), kaiako (teachers) and whānau safe during the repairs. 

Clear signage and measures will be in place to guide everyone safely through the area. Please follow instructions from the team around construction zones.

Find out more about TREC recovery work:

• nzta.govt.nz/trec (external link)
• Sign up for the newsletter(external link)
• Call 0800 80 TREC (0800 80 8732)