State Highway 29 over the Kaimai Range will close overnight for five nights next week.

The road closures will take place from Sunday, February 22, to Thursday, February 26, between 8pm and 3.30am each night (reopening early on Friday).

These closures were necessary to continue urgent remedial work on the Ruahihi Bluffs, near the Ruahihi Power Station, and for maintenance work at other sites along the corridor, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said.

Bay of Plenty system manager Sandra King said scaling work was carried out on the bluffs in late 2025, when it was identified that further critical works would be required.

“The next phase involves removing a large rock from the top of the bluffs, along with strengthening and reinforcement work. The operation will involve a helicopter, crane and abseilers.

“Due to the risks involved, a full overnight road closure is necessary to ensure everyone’s safety. It also helps us to complete the work much quicker, benefiting both road worker crews and road users.”

The work had been timed to coincide with other maintenance works requiring road closure.

This included asphalt pavement works, localised drainage works, road marking and surface repairs at numerous sites along the highway.

A section of SH29 will be closed for five nights next week.

“We occasionally close SH29 for essential works such as these and work closely with freight operators and roading contractors to co-ordinate the best possible schedule for these closures. We appreciate that any closure is disruptive and would like to thank our stakeholders and partners for working with us on this.

“While disruptive in the short term, everyone will enjoy the benefits of having a more reliable and safer route over the Kaimai Range.”

The detours for this closure are significant and add considerable time to journeys.

Alternative routes

North: SH2 via Karangahake Gorge, SH24, SH27, SH26

South (all vehicles): SH5, SH30, SH33, SH2 via Rotorua

South (light vehicles): SH5, SH36 via Rotorua

The closure points on the western (Waikato) side are at the SH29/SH24 and SH29/SH28 intersections and on the eastern (BOP) side at the SH29/Redwood/Kaweroa Drive Roundabout.

NZTA said residents would still be able to access their properties from the relevant side of the closure, but should expect delays.

The state highway will also be fully closed to all through traffic (including residents) at Ruahihi Bluffs for a period of time on Sunday, February 22. Timings would be communicated to residents closer to the closure.

NZTA said emergency services would have prioritised access throughout the work, except for the night of Sunday, February 22, when detours would be required.

After the five-night closure, crews would remain onsite at the Ruahihi Bluffs for about eight weeks, with night-time stop/go traffic management in place as the stabilisation work continued.

Meanwhile, the summer maintenance programme continues until May.

Several sites are being rebuilt or resurfaced to ensure the route remains safe, reliable and fit for purpose for all road users.

Chipsealing works are being planned for SH36 this weekend. Photo / Getty Images

Daytime chipsealing work is also planned this weekend for State Highway 36 between the SH36/Kennedy Rd roundabout and the SH36/Pyes Pa roundabout.

NZTA said this work was originally scheduled for Valentine’s weekend but was postponed because of bad weather.

It warned drivers to expect delays.