Mark Owen (Regional Manager Lower North Island/Top of the South) says the Remutaka Hill Road is one of our country’s most high-risk sections of highway

According to Stuff, the Remutaka Hill Road is New Zealand’s third riskiest highway in terms of crashes per kilometre and has a star safety rating of 2 out of 5

The Remutaka Hill Road is the only alternative route if State Highway One is blocked anywhere between Manakau and Ohau

The summit of the hill is 555 metres (1,821 feet)

Between 2014 and 2023 there have been 382 crashes on the route, an average of more than three crashes per month. Five of these were fatal crashes, and another 29 were serious injury crashes.

Between the Kaitoke bridge and the twin bridges on the Featherston side, the twists and turns in the road add 4 kilometres to the journey.

There is no viable alternative if the road is closed. Planned overnight closures effectively put a curfew on commuters.

In 2008, heavy vehicle traffic was predicted to grow from 327 to 400 average vehicles per day by 2028. Today (2024), heavy vehicle traffic has already reached 473 vehicles per day.

Traffic on the road has increased by 34 percent over the last ten years.

Between January 2020 and May 2024 there have been a number of incidents that have
caused delays or unplanned road closures including:

• 131 breakdowns
• 278 crashes
• 67 “obstructions” (likely to be breakdowns or heavy vehicles not able to pass each other on sharp corners)
• 49 road maintenance
• 264 rock falls or slips
• 338 weather related (snow or wind)
• 91 spillages
• 12 unplanned road closures