Hawke's Bay Expressway

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Hawke's Bay Expressway
Route information
Length24 km (15 mi)
Component
highways
Major junctions
North end SH 2 – near Napier Airport
Major intersections SH 50 north – Pirimai
SH 51
SH 50 south – near Pakowhai
South end SH 2 – Pakipaki, south of Hastings
Location
Major citiesNapier, Hastings
Highway system

The Hawke's Bay Expressway, known also as the Napier-Hastings Expressway, runs from Hawke's Bay Airport passing through Napier and Taradale, west of Hastings, and ends at Pakipaki just south of Hastings, a total length of 24 km.

History[]

The first section (Kennedy Road - Pakowhai Road) opened in the late 1960s, and construction did not recommence until the late 1990s (south of Pakowhai Road). For 30 years the partially formed approaches for the Kennedy Road overbridge stood each side of the dual carriageway from Napier to Taradale. In 2002, work began to strengthen the approaches and build the bridge: the new expressway opened through to Hawkes Bay Airport late in 2003. In 2007 the Meeanee interchange was built to grade separate that intersection. A new extension south of Flaxmere opened in 2011. The expressway remains single carriageway along its length at present, although has been designed to allow dual-carriageway upgrading. This became an electoral commitment by the National party in the 2017 election as part of a series of national upgrades to roads, but they were not successful at forming a Government in the post-election coalition negotiations.[1]

In 2019, the New Zealand Transport Agency approved renumbering of the entire expressway to SH 2. The former designation of SH 2 via Napier and Hastings became a new designation of SH 51, taking effect from 1 August.[2]

Design[]

The Expressway is one lane in each direction, with, heading south, roundabouts at Prebensen Drive and Taradale Road and interchanges at Kennedy Road (north off, south on) and Meeanee Road (traffic lights for many years and a notorious black spot - replaced with a grade separated interchange in 2007), and roundabouts at Pakowhai Road/Links Road (previously traffic lights), Evenden Road, Omahu Road, Flaxmere Avenue/York Road, a 5-way roundabout with Maraekakaho Road/Longlands Road/Pakipaki Road and a roundabout at its terminus with SH 2 at Pakipaki. The expressway is entirely zoned at a 100 km/h limit.

Major intersections[]

Territorial authority Location km jct Destinations Notes
Napier City Westshore 0 New Zealand road sign W11-1.svg Watchman Road
SH 2 north (Main North Road) – Napier Airport, Gisborne
Meeanee Quay (Former SH 2 south) – City Centre
Hawke's Bay Expressway begins
Hawke's Bay Expressway/SH 2 concurrency begins
Onekawa 2.4 New Zealand road sign W11-1.svg SH 50 north (Prebensen Road) Hawke's Bay Expressway/SH 50 concurrency begins
4.1 New Zealand road sign W11-1.svg SH 51 (Taradale Road) – Clive, Hastings Coastal route
Tamatea Australia GE2-3.svg Kennedy Road Northbound exit and southbound entry
Jervoistown Australia GE2-3.svg Meeanee Road Full diamond interchange
Pakowhai New Zealand road sign W11-1.svg Pakowhai Road
SH 50 south (Links Road)
Hawke's Bay Expressway/SH 50 concurrency ends
Staggered intersection converted to roundabout in 2018[3]
Hastings District Hastings New Zealand road sign W11-1.svg Evenden Road
New Zealand road sign W11-1.svg Omahu Road
Flaxmere New Zealand road sign W11-1.svg York Road
Flaxmere Avenue
Longlands New Zealand road sign W11-1.svg Longlands Road
Maraekakaho Road
Pakipaki New Zealand road sign W11-1.svg Railway Road (Former SH 2 north) – Hastings
Te Aute Road – Havelock North
SH 2 south – Waipukurau, Wellington
Hawke's Bay Expressway ends
Hawke's Bay Expressway/SH 2 concurrency ends

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Next generation Roads of National Significance" (Press release). New New Zealand National Party. 20 August 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Hawke's Bay's state highways to be renumbered in August". NZ Transport Agency. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2019.


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