State Highway 2 will reopen at 5pm tonight at Waiotahe beach, following a large slip which fell on the highway overnight Sunday, August 18, closing the road between Waiotahi Valley Back Road and Paerata Ridge Road.

“NZTA contractors have worked incredibly hard this week to clear the slip as fast as possible and get the road reopened today,” says NZTA System Manager for the Bay of Plenty, Sandra King.

“The first step was getting our geotechnical engineers to assess whether the slip was still moving and what risk was posed by the remaining Pōhutukawa trees at the top of the cliff. Unfortunately the trees had to be removed before contractors could safely begin work on slip clearance.

“Crews then worked 24/7 through the night on Wednesday and Thursday nights to get the huge amount of slip material removed and NZTA recognises their dedication and hard mahi in getting SH2 back open to the public as fast as possible.

Further work will be required in areas outside the lanes next week, which may require stop/go traffic management to repair the wire rope barrier.