I know I'm a sign nut.

[1olbull]

Ominous

A 16% grade!?!?!?
Holy $hit that is steep!!!
The steepest grade around here is 13% and that is a side street, not a dang highway!
Just being wet, that grade would be very dangerous.
The civil engineers that designed this must be suffering reason issues from being upsidedown for too long!

Any pix that better show the grade?
Here is the one I referred to:

 

[phar2slo]

A 16% grade!?!?!?
Holy $hit that is steep!!!
The steepest grade around here is 13% and that is a side street, not a dang highway!
Just being wet, that grade would be very dangerous.
The civil engineers that designed this must be suffering reason issues from being upsidedown for too long!

Any pix that better show the grade?
Here is the one I referred to:

First time I went down that grade I was doing 90mph in a car and has a couple of 90 deg bends at the bottom. I can tell you that I had to change my underwear once I got on the flat. No brakes after the first corner.

Have been up and down on the Rocket. Last time I came up some tourist decide to stop and get out and take some pictures of the car on the road.

 

[phar2slo]

This replaced the road on the right of the pic.

Yeah the road use to run on the hill side somewhere.

 

[1olbull]

This replaced the road on the right of the pic.

Yeah the road use to run on the hill side somewhere.

I found the Otira Hwy and drove it on Google Maps.
What a KEWL road!
I would love to ride that roadway - even on the liberal side!
I must say that from the surrounding area I would want to measure if it actually is a full 16% slope.
Gratitude for sharing!!!

 

[phar2slo]

The road is very deceiving and very steep.

Did manage to get from 15mph to about 85 heading up but the rocket just eats slopes like this.

I will head over there in a few weeks time before the snow arrives in the mountains and do a few passes up and down and up load to you tube so you can see the road.

@Tal you keen for a ride?

 

[Tal]

Always!!...I used to traverse that old road in a logging truck. Going down always had your attention as it flattens out a tad then goes steep again. The odd driver got sucked into going up a couple of gears only to find he was going too quick and the brakes overheated. There has been numerous whoopseys there!
Coming up, it steepens really quickly and the "Roadranger" 18 speed gearboxes got a real workout! The trick is to change 2 gears at a time down or "Box changing"...let the revs die down and down till it works to do 2 gears....then again..until you are in a suitable gear to see you all the way up.
Nowadays with 600 plus horses and even auto boxes in some units, its not so dramatic!
There were a few cabs that smelt funny in those earlier days tho!

 

[sleeves]

I found the Otira Hwy and drove it on Google Maps.
What a KEWL road!
I would love to ride that roadway - even on the liberal side!
I must say that from the surrounding area I would want to measure if it actually is a full 16% slope.
Gratitude for sharing!!!

Its steep and the gradients correct, there used to be another part (not sure if its still there?) called "The Devils Staircase" was great on my old Triumphs when I lived down there. Probably not so good in a truck @Tal ?

They have a stopping point at top for trucks to check brakes etc, some roads down South have truck run off lanes in case of brake fail too

This is where the Kea Parrots (worlds only alpine parrots) have posted on other thread pics of them eating my bike.

Was a real good run through on Monday.

 

[sleeves]

Also here's the landslide protection and a river flowing over the road. Only in NZ maybe?

 

[1olbull]

Also here's the landslide protection and a river flowing over the road. Only in NZ maybe?

Yep, I drove Google Maps righ under those!
Sure wish I could ride there from here.

 

[albertaduke]

Also here's the landslide protection and a river flowing over the road. Only in NZ maybe?

you can find the same avalanches protection on the transcanada hwy between the provinces of alberta and British Columbia on a 20 kms stretch of the rocky mountains