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SH2 closed by Waioeka Gorge rockfall near Opotiki

Friday, 2 March 2012, 10:44 am
Press Release: New Zealand Transport Agency

MEDIA RELEASE

2 March 2012

NZ Transport Agency Auckland Regional Office

NZTA advises SH2 closed by Waioeka Gorge rockfall near Opotiki

The NZ Transport Agency says the Waioeka Gorge on State Highway 2 between Opotiki and Gisborne is closed after a huge slip overnight.

The NZTA says it may take most of the day to clear the highway, and it is advising drivers to use the alternative SH35 route through East Cape.

“It is a pretty big fall – around 10,000 cubic metres of earth and rock,” says the NZTA’s acting State Highways Manager for the Bay of Plenty, Andrew Scott. “Our contractors are working as quickly as they can to clear the slip, but the gorge will not be re-opened until the NZTA is completely satisfied that it is safe for drivers to use again.”

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