Several state highways across northern Taranaki and Waikato remain closed today as rising river levels threaten roads already damaged by yesterday’s heavy rainfall.
There are no active MetService weather alerts in the central North Island.
Communities were cut off in parts yesterday due to torrential rain, which caused widespread road closures.
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But the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) said slips, debris and sodden ground mean that some roads in the area remain unsafe despite the rain having stopped.
Ōhura, Maitere and Tokorima townships were isolated by slips and flooding across local access roads yesterday.
As of 10am today, State Highway 3 north of New Plymouth remains closed at Awakino between Mokau and Piopio, with smaller slips further south towards New Plymouth.
State Highway 3 at Tongapōrutu has been reduced to one lane under stop-go traffic management with a 30kph temporary speed limit.
State Highway 4 remains closed between Eight Mile Junction and Taumarunui, while State Highway 43 – the Forgotten World Highway – is closed from Whangamōmona to Taumarunui. Access remains open from Stratford to Whangamōmona.
In Waikato, State Highway 30 is closed between Te Kuiti and Benneydale, and SH31 is closed between Ngutunui and Oparau.
Ruapehu District Council said there was still “a lot of water” to come down through the catchment. (Source: Ruapehu District Council) (Source: Supplied)
Crews are assessing damage across the network, with geotech assessments being carried out during the day. NZTA has urged people travelling between Taranaki and Waikato to delay their journeys while crews wait for floodwaters to recede.
Taranaki and Manawatū-Whanganui system manager Liesl Dawson warned motorists against driving through floodwaters.
“Please adhere to traffic management in place and cordons in place – it’s really important people don’t try to drive through the cordons and through floodwaters,” she said.
“We know the closures are frustrating, but the safety of all road users and our crews is of paramount importance.”
Ruapehu District Council partially activated its emergency operations centre on Monday, but had since stepped it down to a level one response after a meeting with its Civil Defence headquarters in Palmerston North yesterday afternoon.
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