The emergency road works initially planned for State Highway 2, between Gisborne and Ōpōtiki, will be delayed until tomorrow, July 29, or the next fine day.

"Unfortunately it is too wet for the works to take place today. The closure has been moved to tomorrow, Friday, July 29, between 10am to 12pm," says an NZTA spokesperson.

"If the works are unable to proceed tomorrow due to weather, they will take place on the next fine day, with a road closure in place for the same hours, 10am to 12pm."

"All other details remain the same.

The closure was planned as an emergency fix to an underslip.

The road is currently reduced to a single lane, as a result of recent rain. The road is currently open to all vehicles, except over-dimensional loads, however a culvert has been exposed "and needs to be replaced."

"We understand the impact the closure will have to people using the road and work to replace the culvert will be completed as quickly as possible.

"We appreciate this will cause some disruption and thank you in advance for your patience.

"We encourage everyone to take extra care when driving, watch for hazards, adjust their speed and check our Journey Planner map before heading off so they know which routes are affected by recent bad weather."

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with:

• Traffic updates: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic
• Facebook: facebook.com/NZTAWaikatoBoP
• Twitter: twitter.com/WakaKotahiWaiBP
• Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz
• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)