A logging truck that rolled at the Norfolk Road roundabout near Waingawa at around 4.30pm yesterday afternoon blocked the southbound lane of SH2 for more than an hour.
According to police, the driver of the truck “sustained minor injuries”, and “enquiries are ongoing to determine the circumstances of the crash”.
Contractors were dispatched to clear the crash scene, which had effectively closed SH2 between Cornwall Rd and East Taratahi Rd. While the southbound lane was blocked, diversions were put in place via Cornwall Rd, Hughes Line, and East Taratahi Rd.
Before this, traffic had ground to a halt for more than 30 minutes.
The southbound lane of SH2 was open again by 5.45pm.
Although what caused the truck to roll has yet to be determined, people responding to the post alerting motorists to the crash on NZTA Waka Kotahi’s Facebook page were quick to speculate about whether it was the result of an unsafe load or a poor roundabout design.
Complained one poster, “People could turn around and head back [to Masterton] if some numpty hadn’t decided to put a barrier down the centre of the road.”
A number of safety improvements to SH2 between Masterton and Carterton have been made by NZTA over the past year – including roundabouts and a safety barrier between north and southbound lanes – which have received a decidedly mixed response from residents.
The roundabout has a camber from middle out should be flat? Just a thought and as for the barrier has more bad 👎 points than good 👍. One good thing we have a change of government so nanny state ideas will not happen great 👍.