The crash happened near Comet Rd and Kuripapongo Bridge at Ngamahanga, about halfway up Napier-Taihape Rd, inside the Hawke’s Bay boundary.
Road works were being carried out in the area to improve the busy road, which weaves over the Kaweka mountain range and is a main alternative to SH5 Napier-Taupo Rd.
Napier-Taihape Rd is a vital road over the Kaweka mountain range. Photo / NZME
Watson said he was aware of the tragedy and his thoughts went out to the family.
He said he had been talking with iwi representatives who were planning to visit and bless the site.
Given the WorkSafe investigation was ongoing, he preferred not to share details about the crash.
He said the road works taking place were council-initiated remedial works following damage to the road.
“With the closure of the forestry mills, largely in the Ohakune and Ruapehu region, like Tangiwai, those logs were being carted over the Gentle Annie Rd [the Napier-Taihape Rd] to the Port of Napier.
“The road has taken a bit of a hammering,” he said.
“[But] this isn’t about the road, this is about a tragedy where someone has unfortunately lost their life.”
Many logs have been diverted to rail to reduce the toll on the road in recent times.
A police spokeswoman said police inquiries into the circumstances of the crash were ongoing, and there were no charges laid at this stage.
WorkSafe confirmed it was jointly investigating the circumstances, alongside police, of the road worker’s death at Ngamahanga.
A rescue helicopter and ambulance attended the scene.
The road was closed following the crash, but reopened to one lane around the scene later that night.
The western half of Napier-Taihape Rd is owned and managed by Rangitikei District Council, while Hastings District Council owns and manages the eastern half of the 115km-long road.