Traffic using realigned Sun Valley Curves section of SH33
20 March 2014
Drivers on State Highway 33 between Rotorua and Paengaroa are now travelling on the new section of road at Pareteiro, in the area known as Sun Valley Curves.
For the last 16 months this section of road has been undergoing major safety improvement works. The $3.6 million realignment project started in November 2012 and is expected to be fully completed by April says the NZ Transport Agency.
Rotorua District Council has been managing the project for the Transport Agency as its project partner for the Rotorua area.
NZ Transport Agency Highways manager Brett Gliddon says the road was realigned to remove the tight bends at this location.
We have constructed a new, straighter road, and added in a south bound (towards Rotorua) passing lane to make it safer for drivers.
Mr Gliddon says the work to construct the section of road had been challenging due to the terrain and keeping traffic moving.
There was plenty of rain during the course of construction and the type of soil in this area made the ground conditions quite difficult to work with; we also had to manage traffic on what is a very busy road throughout the construction process.
He says the old section of road will be re-vegetated.