Hawke's Bay Expressway


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 24km.

History

The first section opened in the late 1960s, and construction did not recommence until the late 1990s. 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.
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.

Design

The Expressway is one lane in each direction, with, heading south, roundabouts at Prebensen Drive and Taradale Road and interchanges at Kennedy Road and Meeanee Road, and roundabouts at Pakowhai Road/Links Road, 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 authorityLocationkmjctDestinationsNotes
Napier CityWestshore0Watchman Road
– Napier Airport, Gisborne
Meeanee Quay – City Centre		Hawke's Bay Expressway begins
Hawke's Bay Expressway/SH 2 concurrency begins
Napier CityOnekawa2.4Hawke's Bay Expressway/SH 50 concurrency begins
Napier CityOnekawa4.1 – Clive, HastingsCoastal route
Napier CityTamateaKennedy RoadNorthbound exit and southbound entry
Napier CityJervoistownMeeanee RoadFull diamond interchange
Napier CityPakowhaiPakowhai Road
Hawke's Bay Expressway/SH 50 concurrency ends
Staggered intersection converted to roundabout in 2018
Hastings DistrictHastingsEvenden Road
Hastings DistrictHastingsOmahu Road
Hastings DistrictFlaxmereYork Road
Flaxmere Avenue
Hastings DistrictLonglandsLonglands Road
Maraekakaho Road
Hastings DistrictPakipakiRailway Road – Hastings
Te Aute Road – Havelock North
– Waipukurau, Wellington		Hawke's Bay Expressway ends
Hawke's Bay Expressway/SH 2 concurrency ends