Photo: Supplied/NZTA
The Transport Agency (NZTA) has picked a cheaper but less effective option to fix the highway through Waioweka Gorge north of Gisborne that leaves a greater likelihood of closures than a costlier "full" fix.
A newly released business case shows the recommended option would cut closures by 53 percent while a full fix would cut them by 70 percent.
But it would still deliver 83 percent fewer days closed, a 7.5 percent cut in deaths and serious injuries, and halve the cost of freight detours.
State Highway 2 through the 48km-long gorge was still being repaired and only partially open weeks after 40 slips shut it during January's storms.
It was regularly out of action, costing the economy at least $8 million a day.
In the May 2024 business
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