State Highway 5 from Napier to Taupō has reopened to traffic around the clock following closures caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.

The crucial link in the state highway network was opened last week to daylight traffic between 7am and 7pm, ascontractors continued to work on 32 damaged sites.

Waka Kotahi Central North Island regional manager of maintenance and operations, Jaclyn Hankin said contractors had got the road to the point where it could safely be opened at night.

The decision to open 24/7 was made on Monday, following a nighttime drive by Waka Kotahi on Sunday.t

“While the daytime opening has alleviated a lot of pressure, we know how important it is, especially for the freight community, to be able to drive the road at night,” said Hankin.

“Our contractors have done an amazing job, to firstly get a bypass built around the slip between Te Pohue and Glengarry, and to continue strengthening other sites.”

While the road is safe to drive, there are still several damaged sites along the route, and motorists should prepare for lower speeds in a number of places, which will lead to delays.

“It has been a tremendous effort to get this road ready for around the clock access, less than a month and a half after such a damaging cyclone, and Waka Kotahi would like to thank everyone who’s worked on the road,” Hankin said.

“We’re also incredibly grateful for the patience and resilience of the communities alongside SH5 – we know this has been a disruptive time and we hope re-opening the road 24/7 will further strengthen the connection to essential services and supplies, schools, work and friends and whanau.”