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All highways in and out of Napier remained closed this afternoon, including its links with twin-city Hastings.

National highways management agency Waka Kotahi NZTA said Cyclone Gabrielle has caused wide road spread closures around both Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne regions and a number of closures remain in place, including all bridges between the cities.

State Highway 2 between Napier and Hastings, SH5 between Napier and Taupō, SH51 between Napier and Clive, SH51 between Napier and Elwood roads, the Hawke’s Bay Expressway between Napier and Hastings, SH50 between Takapau and Hastings, and SH2 between Napier and Wairoa remained closed.

WKNZTA regional system manager Martin Colditz said bridge engineers and roading crews are continuing to assess these road closures and in many cases waiting for floodwaters to recede.”Please avoid all unnecessary travel at the moment and if you do have to drive in the areas which remain open, drive to the conditions,” he said.

”Roading crews are still dealing with extensive flooding in places and hope to be able to reassess the situation as soon as possible.

”We are mindful of the continued disruption caused by this cyclone, and we want to assure people everything is being done to safely open our network as quickly as possible,” he said.

The agency advises motorists to check the latest weather conditions with MetService, and consult the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner for the most up to date information on road closures.

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