More than one month after Cyclone Gabrielle, state highway five between Napier and Taupō reopened at 7am on Monday morning.
The repairs are a work-in-progress and speeds will be reduced so crews can continue fixing the washouts and underslips at 32 damaged sites along the route.
Because it's still vulnerable, the road is closed to the largest of vehicles, and will only be open from 7am until 7pm each day.
Waka Kotahi central North Island mantenance and operations manager Jaclyn Hankin spoke to Corin Dann.
