State Highway 36 Mangorewa Gorge has had a facelift.

When travelling through the gorge on SH36/Tauranga Direct Road in the Bay of Plenty, be prepared to see changes, Sandra King, Bay of  Plenty System Manager at NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, said.

“Last year, during a weather event, part of the road dropped away, forming an underslip,” King said.

“This meant the  state highway was down to one lane and under traffic management for many months.”

 During this time, temporary repairs were done to keep the road open while engineers designed the new road realignment, King said.

Permanent road repairs started in August this year, with crews working over the past three months to fix the underslip. 

“As the road is so narrow through the gorge, the decision was made to fully close it for two weeks to enable the crew to safely repair it,” King said.

Contractors removed 536 tonnes of solidified volcanic rock from the bank, making the road wider and allowing the road to be realigned.

A slip was repaired near Hamurana, and SH36 underwent maintenance, including clearing culverts and vegetation between Tauranga and Rotorua.

“Our contractors have done a great job under trying circumstances and in a tricky location, and we’d like to thank motorists for their patience while this important work was completed,” said King.  
 
This work forms part of the government’s $2.07 billion investment in road and drainage renewal and maintenance from 2024 to 2027 via the State Highway Pothole Prevention Fund.