State Highway 2 through the Waioweka Gorge reopened yesterday morning following a weather-related closure, but motorists are being warned to expect further disruptions as work continues to stabilise one of the route’s most problematic slip sites.

The highway reopened at 8.30am on Wednesday after engineers carried out an inspection at first light, clearing the way for traffic to resume through the Gorge.

The closure was triggered by heavy rain associated with an Orange Heavy Rain Warning issued for the Eastern Bay earlier this week.

Forecasts warned of up to 130mm of rain in some areas, prompting NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi to close the route as a precaution due to concerns about unstable slopes and the risk of further slips.

While the road is now open, the weather remains a key factor in ongoing recovery efforts.

NZTA said its Trigger Action Response Plan (TARP) remained in place and would continue to guide decisions around road safety and closures whenever conditions deteriorated.

However, the biggest challenge for motorists may still lie ahead.

A series of night closures is scheduled to begin this month as crews undertake critical stabilisation work at the Goldsmith Slip, one of several sites that have caused repeated disruption in the Gorge since January.

The work will involve the installation of a large rockfall attenuator, essentially a heavy-duty steel net designed to catch and contain falling rock and debris before it reaches the highway.

The first closure will take place on Saturday, June 6, with the Gorge closed between 9pm and 5am while crews carry out drilling and investigation work. Freight operators will be permitted through during a one-hour access window between 1am and 2am.

A more extensive programme of night closures will then begin from Sunday, June 21. The road will close from 9pm until 5am for 10 nights while installation work continues.

Closures will operate Sunday through Thursday, with no closures scheduled for Friday or Saturday nights. Freight traffic will again be accommodated during a one-hour window between 1am and 2am.

Daytime stop-go traffic management will remain in place throughout much of the project, with a large crane required to carry out drilling and installation work on the steep slip face.

Once installed, the rockfall attenuator is expected to provide a near-permanent solution at the Goldsmith Slip.

The steel net is designed to slow falling debris and direct it safely to the bottom of the slope where it can be contained behind protective barriers.

NZTA says the completed project should allow two-way traffic to resume through the slip site and significantly reduce the number of precautionary closures that have frustrated motorists over recent months.

For Eastern Bay residents, freight operators and travellers who rely on the gorge as the district’s primary link to the rest of the Bay of Plenty, the work represents a short-term inconvenience aimed at delivering a much more reliable route in the future.

NZTA thanked road users for their patience and understanding while recovery and stabilisation work continues.