Police car towed after reversing into Transmission Gully barrier pole

Police confirmed the incident happened this morning. Photo / Trafic Updates Horowhenua Kapiti Wellington

Police have found themselves in trouble again on Transmission Gully – this time it appears a patrol car has reversed into one of the barrier poles.

The new $1.25 billion motorway out of Wellington has been open for two weeks.

On the first day it opened, “driver error” was blamed for a police car becoming stuck in deep gravel off the shoulder of the road.

The arrestor bed is designed to stop runaway vehicles and is made of deep loose gravel.

A police spokesperson confirmed the new safety feature of the road was “very effective”.

A police car got stuck in deep gravel on the first day Transmission Gully opened. Photo / Supplied

This morning, a photo was taken of another police car in strife.

The photo shows a barrier pole wedged into the rear of a police patrol car. Two people in hi-vis are leaning into the window on the driver’s side.

A police spokesperson said it was not yet clear how the most recent incident happened.

“The officer wasn’t injured and the patrol vehicle has been towed.”

Transmission Gully has been built through a public-private partnership (PPP), the Wellington Gateway Partnership (WGP), with CPB Contractors and HEB Construction subcontracted to carry out the design and construction.

The 27km motorway opened two years later than originally expected.

Police have previously urged people to be careful, despite the excitement over the new road.

“Police want to remind people that this is a motorway and you cannot stop. We appreciate this is a new stretch of road and people will want to look around but we urge drivers to remain focused and drive distraction-free to ensure the safety of all road users.”

The Easter holidays come as the first big test for the new road.

It appears it has performed well so far, but yesterday northbound traffic was facing delays of up to 45 minutes further north.

Holiday congestion was bad between Waikanae and Otaki.