Category: New Zealand Government Public Service

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

A couple of urban State Highways in and around Tauranga are set to be refreshed over the next 3 months in 3 different locations.

These works will see the rebuild of a section of State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko and 2 different sections of State Highway 2 (SH2) near Elizabeth Street and Hewletts Road. This includes new asphalt layers and road markings. During work hours there will be lane closures and detours in place. To minimise disruption to motorists all work will be done at night or over a ‘super weekend’ where crews will work 24/7 between Friday 21 February and Monday 24 February. 

SH2/Elizabeth Street: 

Work kicks off on Friday 21 February on the northbound slip lane at the SH2/Elizabeth Street roundabout, with a super weekend of work, crews will be onsite 24/7 from 6pm Friday 21 February through to Monday 24 February at 6am. Completing this work over 3 days in a super weekend when there is less traffic on the road without peak traffic flows is a new way of working, the alternative is 2 weeks of nightworks with various detours and road closures.   

While this work is taking place this slip lane will be closed, meaning there will be no right hand turn at the bottom of Elizabeth Street towards Mount Maunganui, a detour will be available via Cameron Road.  

SH29/SH29 Takitimu Drive toll road: 

From Tuesday 25 February until Friday 14 March crews will move to SH29 from Cambridge Road down the hill to the slip lane and on to the Takitimu Drive toll road. Work will be carried out each night from 8pm through to 6am, no work will take place on the weekends.

On Monday 3 March, the road will be closed to eastbound traffic (towards Tauranga) from Cambridge Road to the SH29/SH36/29A roundabout, due to the narrow lane width and equipment required to complete the work. the road will be closed  

SH2 Hewletts Road: 

Lastly, crews will be taking on intersections on SH2 Hewletts Road. Work was done on Hewletts Road early in 2024, but the intersections were always programmed to be rebuilt this year.

Work will begin in mid-March and take about 6 weeks to complete. All work will be done at night, more information will be provided closer to the date for this work. 

Work Schedule: 

• SH2/Elizabeth Street – From 6pm Friday 21 February to 6am Monday 24 February  
• SH29 Cambridge Road to SH29/36/29A Roundabout and toll road slip lane – Tuesday 25 February to Friday 14 March 
• SH2 Hewletts Road – mid-March to end of April 

View larger map [PDF, 2.1 MB]

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Overnight asphalt resurfacing works will get underway on State Highway 1 on the northern side of the Brynderwyn Hills from this Sunday (23 February), NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) advises.

Work will take place between 9pm and 5am over five nights, with stop/go traffic management operating during those hours, and a 30km/h temporary speed limit in place.

Travel delays during these works are expected to be 5 – 10mins.

This work is part of Northland’s significant summer maintenance programme, which will see approximately 203 lane kilometres of state highway renewed across the region by the end of May.

As well as ensuring a smooth, skid-resistant surface, asphalt resurfacing helps to protect the important structural layers underneath, improves waterproofing to help prevent potholes, and extends the life of the road.

There will be increased noise for residents in the area, and short delays for road users. We encourage road users to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.

Access for residents and priority for emergency services will be maintained throughout the works.

Please be patient and treat our crews with kindness and respect. Reduce your speed, adhere to the temporary speed limits and follow the traffic management directions at our work sites. 

This work is weather dependent and there may be changes to the planned works in the case of unsuitable weather. Please visit the NZTA Journey Planner website for up-to-date information on these works, including any changes due to weather.

Journey Planner(external link)

For more information about the overall maintenance programme and planned works, visit the Northland State Highway Maintenance Programme website:

Northland roadworks (external link)

You can now sign up to receive email updates on upcoming road maintenance:

NZTA thanks everyone for their understanding and support while we carry out this essential maintenance.

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

You could be forgiven for thinking you’re in America when driving the roads of Taranaki this week.

Americarna – the celebration of classic American cars, hits the streets of the region from Wednesday.

It’s one of a number of big events this month, with Te Matatini and WOMAD to follow.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is reminding people making their way to these events over the next month to plan their journeys. 

“There are some great events coming up in Taranaki over the next month, which will see a lot of people visiting Taranaki. More people in the region means there will be more traffic on the state highway network,” says NZTA Taranaki Journey Manager Mike Dickson.

“With more people on our roads it may take a bit longer than usual to get around. We recommend giving yourself plenty of time during the events to ensure you get where you’re going on-time.” 

To minimise disruption to people travelling for these events we started our state highway renewals and maintenance season in Taranaki in September – a month earlier than usual – to get our most disruptive work completed before these big events kick off. 

“So far this season we’ve completed the majority of our renewal programme, including our most disruptive works. But because we have such a large programme to complete before the season is out, we will still have some works underway over the coming weeks. There will also be ongoing project work underway, mainly on SH3,” says Mr Dickson.

“Our roading crews will manage traffic through these sites as quickly as they can but it’s important that drivers follow the temporary traffic management and adhere to all speed restrictions in place for the safety or road users and crews alike.” 

During Americarna, the following road closures will be in place:

SH 3 & SH3A Inglewood

These sections of road will be closed in both directions on Thursday 20 February between 1pm and 3pm. Plan your journey accordingly allowing extra time for travel.

SH 3 Stratford, between Fenton Street and Seyton Street

This section of road will be closed in both directions on Friday 21 February between 10am and 1pm. Plan your journey accordingly allowing extra time for travel.

Signposted detours will be available.

Before hitting the road, visit Journey Planner to see what works are underway and how they may impact your journey: nzta.govt.nz/journeys. 

To stay up-to-date with the Taranaki maintenance and renewal programme:

Taranaki maintenance(external link)

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Improving the resilience of state highways in the South Island continues, with State Highway 65 at Higgins Bluff near Murchison set for improvements.

Contractors will be onsite on the Shenandoah Highway near Ariki, from Monday, 10 March, when they will begin rock scaling work on a five-kilometre section of the state highway.

Rob Service, System Manager Nelson/Tasman says contractors will remove overhanging rock and debris from the cliff face above the highway.

“Rock falls can pose a serious risk to road users and sometimes result in lengthy road closures. Reducing their risk is a priority for us.”

“Improving the resilience of State Highway 65 is critical. We have seen from severe weather events in recent years how crucial it is to invest in works that help prevent and reduce the risks harsh weather brings,” Mr Service says.

He says, because rock scaling can only be done safely during the day the work will require daytime road closures.

“Rock scaling simply can’t be done at night as it is too unsafe for work crews,” Mr Service says.

The work will be completed using a full highway closure, between 7 am and 7 pm, from Monday, 10 March to Friday 14 March.

While it is underway Mr Service says road users will have to detour via State Highway 6 O’Sullivan’s Bridge to Inangahua Junction, then via State Highway 69 to Reefton and State Highway 7 to Springs Junction.

“This is a significant detour and will require extra travel time. However, it is unavoidable as it is not safe to have traffic driving through the project site when rocks are being removed from the cliff face. Having unstable boulders above vehicles is not a good mix.”

“Please bear with us. This project is all about making  State Highway 65 safer and more reliable in the future. There will be some inconvenience next month, but it is all about trying to prevent bigger hassles in the future,” Mr Service says.

Following the road closures, work will continue under stop/go and 30 km/hr temporary speed limits from 7 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday, until March 28. During this time anchors and mesh rock-protection will be installed on the bluff face.

NZTA/Waka Kotahi is working with the freight industry, the local community, and the local school to ensure those affected by this work can make arrangements in advance.

Works Schedule:

• Full road closure. Monday, 10 March, to Friday, 14 March, 7 am – 7 pm.
• The road will reopen to two lanes outside of work hours.
• During work hours the detour route will be via State Highway 6 O’Sullivan’s Bridge to Inangahua Junction, then via State Highway 69 to Reefton and State Highway 7 to Springs Junction.
• Allow an extra 45 minutes travel time when travelling on the detour route.
• Emergency services will be accommodated through the closure.
• Following the closures, work continues under stop/go and temporary speed limits, Monday to Friday,  7 am – 7 pm, between Monday, 17 and  Friday, 28 March 2025.

More Information:

• This work is funded by the Crown Resilience Programme – a $419 million investment package of resilience improvement activities that will reduce the impact of severe weather events on our national roading networks. The total crown resilience programme comprises $279 million for activities on State Highways, and $140 million for activities on Local Roads.
  Crown Resilience Programme (CRP)

Other resilience works underway in the top of the South Island include flood prevention works on State Highway 1 at Dashwood in Marlborough, and on State Highway 6 at Dellows Bluff. Flood prevention works were recently completed at the Wash on State Highway 63 in the Wairau Valley, and further rock scaling work is also planned on State Highway 63 at Howard Narrows

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Road users can look forward to a more complete roundabout experience in Piarere, with the final permanent approach road towards Hamilton set to open.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) advises traffic is planned to be switched onto the new approach on Tuesday 25 February (weather permitting).   

Darryl Coalter, Acting Regional Manager – Infrastructure Delivery Waikato/Bay of Plenty says the switch will provide road users a taste of the finished product.    

“We’ve received positive feedback about the roundabout so far and we’re confident motorists will enjoy it even more when the final approach road is in action. It’s one step closer to a more efficient and safer intersection.”   

The roundabout at the intersection of State Highways 1 and 29 opened to traffic in September 2024 with 2 temporary approach roads in action, while work continued on the 3 permanent approaches. Two of the 3 permanent approach roads (SH1 from Tīrau, and SH29) opened to traffic in December 2024.    

No road closures or stop/go are needed for the switch onto the new approach road; however, motorists should prepare for minor delays in the area.  

The roundabout will be reduced to a single lane with traffic switched over one direction at a time, starting with the northbound lane first and the southbound lane by late afternoon. 

Mr Coalter says the project is on track to be completed in mid-2025, but there is still work to be done. 

“Work will continue on the central median and barriers on the Hamilton approach, before the focus shifts to the installation of a centre sculpture, landscaping and planting. 

“Prior to the switch, line marking will be undertaken under stop/go overnight from 8pm Monday 24 February until 4am Tuesday morning. Motorists should expect delays of around 10 minutes during this time.”  

Mr Coalter thanks motorists for their patience and asks drivers to stick to temporary speed limits and take extra care when travelling through the area while people adjust to the new layout.   

“We’re not far from the finish line now and we’re grateful for the support we’ve received from nearby residents and road users during this time.”

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is advising road users travelling on State Highway 2 (SH2) between Waipawa and Takapau in Central Hawke’s Bay to expect some delays day and night as the summer renewals programme focusses on this part of the region.

SH2 resealing between Waipukurau and Takapau – day work

Starting this week, a stretch of SH2 between Takapau and Waipukurau will be resealed over the next 6 weeks.

Crews will be working onsite Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm each weekday.

The road will be under stop/go traffic management and road users are encouraged to plan for possible delays of up to 20 minutes. Outside of the work hours, temporary speed limits will be in place.

SH2 road rebuild in Waipawa – night works begin next week

The road rebuild project between Victoria Street and Tamumu Road, just north of the Waipawa township is progressing.

The first stage of the road rebuild project, the kerb and channel, was completed last week.

The second stage, the road rebuild, is starting on Monday 17 February. Working at night between 8pm and 5am Mondays to Fridays, crews will rebuild the road section by section.

On Monday crews will start with section 2 at the Victoria St end of the worksite, working up to Tamumu Road. See the map included.

Stop/go traffic management will be in place during the night works with possible delays of up to 20 minutes. Road users are encouraged to plan ahead using Journey Planner.

Journey Planner(external link)

This work is happening at night to reduce daytime disruption and complete the job faster.

NZTA appreciates the work will cause delays and is confident resealing this stretch of road will improve its resilience, safety and ultimately efficiency of travel for everyone who uses it.

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

The work to remove unstable rock material from South Westland’s Epitaph Rift is going well, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

Abseiling crews have been working on the cliff face, north of Haast, removing large rocks and exploding unstable rock features since the highway closed early November last year. Intensive rain set off numerous rockfalls and slips, closing SH6 for 13 days.

“This week, the abseiling and rock explosive team reached an important milestone,” says Moira Whinham, Maintenance Contract Manager for NZTA on the West Coast. “The unstable layer along the crest of the rockfall has now been completely removed and benched.  This means they can now begin safely deconstructing the unstable material further down the cliff face, through to the end of March.”

Current situation re delays for drivers/ road users

Currently SH6 is closed in both directions between 12:30pm and 3pm Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, with Stop/Go in place between 3pm and 5pm on those two afternoons with delays for drivers.

New timetable with crews closer to the road – Monday to Friday delays

Now that the team is able to work down the southern margin of the rock face, there will be longer delays during the day to allow this area of the face to be scaled safely, says Miss Whinham.   

From Monday 17 February, there will be delays of up to 30 minutes Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm.  Full closures for blasting will continue Tuesdays and Thursdays between 12.30 pm to 3pm through to the end of March.

“We appreciate road users’ patience while we undertake this important recovery work, affecting more people across the working week,” says Miss Whinham.

Epitaph Slip/ below road level funding confirmed

NZTA confirms that around $1.7 million in funding has been confirmed this week to construct a micro-pile wall along the downslope shoulder of the road (ie under the road on the 2012 slip area). 

Work on this will begin in early March and is expected to be complete in May. “Both activities, to the upper slope and under the road, will be happening at the same time and will be coordinated across the site, but it will mean there is traffic management in place around the clock until the micro-pile work is complete,” says Miss Whinham.

What are micro-piles?

Micro-piles are a whole lot of little piles drilled down into the road that basically stabilise the surface.  This piece of work will deal with the stability below the road, specifically around the shoulder, and is separate from the rockfall stabilisation work. As well as the rockfall last November, there was also movement in the road surface. Cracks have since been filled, but the micro-piling is a more long-term fix.

Longer term resilience business case, Hāwea to Knights Point, north of Epitaph slip area

Work continues on the NZTA investment case looking at potential medium and long-term solutions for the management of the Epitaph Slip to address the vulnerability of the state highway at this location.  The business case is expected to be completed in the second half of 2025.

This work will enable NZTA to determine a preferred long-term solution at this site in parallel with completing its SH6 Haast (Knights Point) to Hāwea Corridor Resilience Improvement Business Case.

SH6 Epitaph Slip Investment Case