If you can avoid travel, please stay home. If you’re driving in the forecast heavy rainfall, please drive to the conditions, which means keeping a safe following distance and dropping your speed and watch for flooding and other debris on the road.
There has been significant progress clearing slips around the Coromandel and wider Waikato with most highways now open but extreme caution is advised as there may be small slips and areas with surface water. Clearance and cleanup works will continue tomorrow in the region.
The toll on the Northern Gateway will be paused from 5pm Monday 30 January until 10pm Sunday 5 February (or until the state of emergency in Auckland is lifted).
It’s not just the upper North Island in the firing line from bad weather. Drivers in the Lower North Island and upper South Island also need to be prepared.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has been undertaking geotechnical assessments in a number of areas where there have been slips onto the road and underneath the road.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency contractors have been working to re-open access across the motu today, although wet weather is set to continue and a number of state highways remain closed.
While significant progress has been made overnight to fix damage and reopen roads across the North Island, relentless rain has caused additional slips, forcing more closures.
While our crews have been working tirelessly to clear flooding and debris from roads across the motu, a number of slips overnight have forced additional road closures.
Heavy rain is continuing to affect the state highway network in Auckland and Northland and people are advised to take extra care on the roads and avoid travel where possible.