Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is urging people to avoid non-essential travel in several North Island regions, with Metservice red or orange warnings for heavy rain in place for Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, and parts of Bay of Plenty and Gisborne.
Waka Kotahi roading contractors will be closely monitoring the State Highway network as further heavy rain is forecast to spread down the North Island.
Inspections at the summit of State Highway 25A (SH25A) show the remainder of the road has collapsed into the gully, as a result of heavy rain which continues to fall in the Coromandel region.
Despite the unprecedented weather, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency contractors have made faster-than-expected progress in clearing significant slips on State Highway 1 (SH1) today.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency contractors are working hard to restore access to state highways affected by the extraordinary weather experienced in the upper North Island in the last 24 hours.
New, safer speed limits are set to be in place between Masterton and Featherston from 27 January to help protect the lives of people who use local streets and roads.
People who drive between Christchurch and Ashburton on SH1 will notice some activity near Rakaia from later this week, says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.