Part of State Highway 2 in the Karangahake Gorge will be closed for a short period on Thursday to allow contractors to remove a rock boulder resting on a roadside bank.

State Highway manager Kaye Clark says the work is required to ensure the safety of motorists travelling through the area.

'After a routine inspection identified a possible issue with this rock, we sent in a team to abseil down the rock face to inspect it more closely.

'As a result, it was decided the boulder should be removed as a precaution.”

Kaye says the road closure will be for an hour between 11am-12pm to allow contractors enough time to blast the rock out onto the road and to remove the fragments.

'As long as the weather holds we expect this work to go ahead as planned on Thursday. However, if weather conditions deteriorate on the day we will need to postpone our effort until the next available fine day.”

Alternative routes will be in place during the closure.

Motorists are being advised to take State Highway 29 over the Kaimais or to travel along State Highway 25A if they are travelling between the Bay of Plenty and Waikato regions.