With Waka Kotahi saying State Highway 23, the road from Raglan to Hamilton, will be closed until the end of the month, some drivers are using Old Mountain Road to travel from Raglan to Hamilton.
Waikato District Council is now saying, “If you’re driving between Raglan and Hamilton, please don’t use Old Mountain Road. Old Mountain Road is open to residents only.”
The Council added, “The road is not built to handle the extra traffic resulting from people choosing to still travel on this road rather than take the signposted detour route. That extra traffic is a safety risk for families living on Old Mountain Road and those driving on it.”
Until SH23 is open, the signposted detour route is via Ngaruawahia using Waingaro and Ohuatira Roads. Waka Kotahi says that crews have since been constructing a temporary road around the major slip on SH23 which appeared after January’s storm, and then worsened due to Cyclone Gabrielle. “While our target date of the end of February isn’t a firm opening date, we’re pulling out all the stops to make it happen as a matter of urgency,” Waka Kotahi said.