Restricted hours in the Mangorewa Gorge on State Highway 36 between Tauranga and Rotorua will only be in place for one more week.
The road has been closed between 9am and 4pm for road construction work but will open 24 hours a day from October 19.
The gorge will be closed each day this week between 9am and 4pm but will be open at all other times.
The full opening of SH36 on October 19 will mark the end of five months of closures through the Mangorewa Gorge.



Heavy traffic will be able to use the route from October 12 but NZTA suggests heavy vehicles consider using another route as ongoing road works to widen the gorge are expected to cause some delays.
NZTA's Bay of Plenty State Highway Manager Rod James says the road conditions through the highway have now improved enough to let heavy vehicles through but the road is still unsealed through the work site and traffic is reduced to one lane.
"Trucks and commercial vehicles may find using another route a better option until the road works are completed," says Rod.
The Mangorewa Gorge improvement project is on schedule for completion in February 2010.