Category: Transport

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi’s South Westland rock removal team has made good progress north of the Epitaph Slip area, an area called the Epitaph Rift, in the last fortnight since the route reopened after extensive flooding and rockfall on 9 November.

“As from next week, the rock scaling crew will reduce their time to three-and-a-half hours Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, reducing the delays for people using SH6,” says Moira Whinham, Maintenance Contract Manager on the West Coast for NZTA.

“Given they are using explosives, we do need to be cautious about this work and protect road users and crew members. But they can now safely reduce the closure duration to 12.30pm to 4pm for 10 and 12 December and 17 and 19 December, in the lead-in to the Christmas break.

“They will then take a three-week break, stopping completely on site from Friday 20 December and resuming Monday, 13 January.”

Rock removal will continue in January on the Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and NZTA will keep people informed on when enough work has been done to provide more future-proofing for the next major rainfall/bad weather.

“NZTA appreciates the inconvenience of these afternoon closures for South Westland road users and thanks everyone for working around them,” says Miss Whinham.

Up-to-date highway closure information(external link)

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Critical concrete repair work is planned for an important State Highway 1 rail overbridge near Manakau from Boxing Day.

Work is due to start on Thursday 26 December and continue through until mid-March next year.

Roxanne Hilliard, Wellington Alliance Manager, says the Manakau North Rail Bridge needs to be repaired.

“While the overbridge is safe to drive over and will remain so while it is being fixed, it does carry, on average, twenty thousand vehicles daily and is a vital infrastructure link. It must be kept in a state of good repair.”

“The overbridge requires concrete repairs, some of which can only be done when no trains are running during the holiday break. The rest of the repairs can be completed when the trains return to service. It is critical we get in and get this job done as quickly as possible,” Ms Hilliard says.

She says the required repairs are significant and will be completed in stages.

“The bridge will have defective concrete removed, reinforcement bars treated, and concrete reinstated. The result will be a stronger, safer bridge,” Ms Hilliard says.

All the repairs will be done under the overbridge, near the rail corridor, however a 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place over the bridge as speeding vehicles can impact the quality of work. This is why there will be barriers either side of the bridge to help drivers to slow down as well as 30km/h hour signs on the bridge.

Ms Hilliard says traffic will be able to continue to use the bridge while the work is underway, and she reminds drivers following the speed limit over the bridge is essential.

“Please follow the lower speed limit and give our crews the conditions they need to do the job. The sooner they finish, the sooner the highway can return to normal,” Ms Hilliard says

Traffic management will be in place 24/7 until the repairs are completed in March. It is expected to cause traffic congestion at the project site, especially during the holiday period.

Drivers must factor this into their travel plans and allow extra time for their journeys when driving between Ōtaki and Levin.

Works schedule

• Thursday, 26 December to mid-March (weather-dependent)
• 30 km/h temporary speed limit

More information

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is advising road users on State Highway 4 next week to prepare for resealing work.

Stop/go traffic management will be in place on SH4 between Raetihi to Upokongaro each day from Monday 9 December to Friday 13 December. Crews will be onsite from 8am til 6pm.

Between Monday and Wednesday, road users can expect delays of up to an hour due to the need to hold traffic while sealing works are underway on narrower sections of road. On Thursday and Friday, that delay is expected to be 5 to 10 minutes.

NZTA strongly urges all road users to plan ahead, avoid travel during this time if possible and expect the delays.

A 30 km/h speed limit will also be in place.

NZTA acknowledges these delays are significant and apologises to all road users on SH4 for the frustration, as we work to boost the resilience of this road.

We thank you for your patience and understanding during these works.

Road maintenance – Manawatū-Whanganui region 

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Night-time travellers will again be on detours around the Waikato Expressway works at Ngāruawāhia over the next fortnight as the big push continues to get the highway open this month.

This section of State Highway 1 (SH1) has been fully closed during the past 2 weeks, opening at weekends, while NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi contractors complete remedial and safety improvements.

Night works are now required to complete asphalt work, final surfacing, barrier installation and line-marking, with all traffic off the road.

The SH1 Ngāruawāhia section will be closed overnight on these dates:

• From 7pm Sunday 8 December until 5am Friday 13 December

• From 7pm Sunday 15 December until 5am Friday 20 December.

Depending on weather and progress the night closures may finish earlier in that second week.

Meanwhile, outside these closures all traffic remains on the northbound lanes with 3 detours in place until completion.

• The southbound onramp at the Taupiri/Gordonton Road interchange is closed until works finish.
• The southbound offramp to SH1C is closed until works finish.
• Northbound SH1C traffic is required to exit at Lake Road, head south on SH1 to turn around at Resolution Interchange and proceed north.

All lanes will open after final inspections are completed in the lead-up to Christmas.

View larger map [JPG, 438 KB]

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Starting this Sunday 8 December, asphalt resurfacing will be getting underway on State Highway 29 near the Tauranga end of Old Kaimai Road.

This work will be completed overnight between 8pm and 6am, starting Sunday 8 December through to the morning of Wednesday 18 December, although there won’t be any work overnight Friday 13 or Saturday 14 December.  

The resurfacing works involve removing the existing road surface and replacing it with a new layer of asphalt.  

While this work is underway, temporary traffic management, including lane closures and stop/go will be in place, as well as a reduced speed limit of 50km/h during the day to ensure the safety of the community and our team.  

This work is weather dependent, and these timeframes are approximate and subject to change. 

This work follows the completion of the SH29 Hanga Lane site near the summit of the Kaimai Range and the SH29 Gargan Road site near Tauriko.  

SH29 is a key focus as part of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi summer maintenance programme.  

Between October 2024 and May 2025 there are 9 significant sites on the Bay of Plenty side of the Kaimai Range where we will be rebuilding and resurfacing the road.   

Once complete, drivers will have smoother and safer journeys along this section of the SH29 corridor.  

This work forms part of the government’s $2.07 billion investment into road and drainage renewal and maintenance across 2024-27 via the State Highway Pothole Prevention fund.  

Previous SH29 media release (18 October 2024): Summer maintenance on State Highway 29 to deliver smoother journeys

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

With our summer maintenance programme in full swing, road users will have noticed multiple chip sealing sites on local state highways across the top of the South Island.

The work is essential for ensuring the region’s highways are kept safe and resilient for drivers.

Mark Owen, Regional Manager Wellington/Top of the South says summer, when the weather is warmer, is the perfect time of year to get this sort of road resurfacing work done.

“We commonly hear drivers asking why there are more road works at this time of the year. The simple answer is permanent repairs need warm and dry weather to be effective and can’t be done during the wet and cold winter months. This is why drivers always see a lot of resurfacing work done over summer.”

“Many sites have already been completed, and our contractors are making the most of the hot, dry weather to get as much work done over the next couple of weeks before Christmas,” Mr Owen says.

Work locations between now and Christmas	Timing
SH60 Tākaka Between Paynes Ford Reserve and Motupipi Street, Tākaka	Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 December, 7 am to 7 pm
SH60 Tākaka township Between Long Plain Road and Māori Road, Tākaka	Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 December, 6 pm to 11 pm
SH60 Tākaka Airport Between Tākaka Airport and Little Onahau River	Friday 6 December, 7 am to 7 pm
SH6 between Northbank Road and Okaramio Marlborough Two separate sites	Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 December, 7 am to 7 pm
SH6 between Okaramio and Havelock Two separate sites	Tuesday 10 to Wednesday 11 December 7 am to 7 pm
SH6 Canvastown Four separate sites	Wednesday 11 and Friday 13 December 7 am to 7 pm

The chip seal sites will be spread throughout the region. For Nelson/Tasman, this includes locations on State Highway 60 near Tākaka. In the New Year, contractors will be working across the Nelson/Tasman region on multiple sites, including:

• State Highway 6 around Glenhope
• State Highway 6 between Hope Saddle and State Highway 63 Kawatiri Junction
• State Highway 6 around Murchison township
• State Highway 6 Whangamoa Hill
• State Highway 65 Shenandoah Highway
• State Highway 63 at sites on either side of the St Arnaud township
• Various sites on each side of State Highway 63 and the St Arnaud-Kawatiri intersection.

In Marlborough, crews will be out on State Highway 6 between now and Christmas. Crews will return to various sites in the New Year, including:

• State Highway 1 Spring Creek
• State Highway 1 Tuamarina
• State Highway 1 Redwood Pass
• State Highway 1 in the Seddon township
• State Highway 6 Woodbourne
• State Highway 62 Rapaura Road
• Four sites on State Highway 63. 

Road users travelling to the West Coast and further south over summer can also expect to come upon chip seal operations during their journeys.

Mr Owen says the work is essential for keeping the roads in tip-top shape.

Stop/go controls will be in place while chip seal work is underway. Temporary speed limits will apply day and night and remain in place until the new surface beds in. Crews will then sweep the new surface before re-applying road markings.

Mr Owen says 30 km/h limits are in place for good reason.

“If people drive too fast, they damage the road surface, meaning the work has to be redone – creating even more travel delays. Stone chips can also flick up and damage other vehicles.”

“Sticking to the posted speed limit also helps to keep everyone, including our road workers, safe.”

Mr Owen appreciates that road works cause delays and frustration for drivers.

“We try to minimise the impact of road works as much as possible. But, like the saying you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs. Road works inevitably affect traffic.”

“Please remember this is an important investment in infrastructure and helps keep our highways safe. All road users benefit from this work,” Mr Owen says.

Summer maintenance season – Tips and advice

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) has kicked off its Northland Corridor Summer Roadshow series, with more than 250 people dropping in to chat to the project team, find out the latest progress on the project and share their local insights at the first two events.

Representatives from the project team attended the Mangawhai Community Market on Saturday 23 November and the Kaiwaka Community Markets on Saturday 30 November, and NZTA Programme Director, Derek Robertson, says the team really enjoyed connecting with people and hearing about what was important to them.

“It was fantastic to hear how much people love travelling on Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth. We also heard people are keen to see the Northland Corridor Roads of National Significance project underway as fast as possible. Resilience, safety and travel times were also hot topics.

“This coming weekend the team will be at the Whangārei A&P Show on Saturday 7 December from 9am–4:30pm and we’re looking forward to connecting with more people keen to hear about the project.”

There are five more roadshow locations planned, including this weekend at the Whangārei A&P Show:

• Saturday 7 December 2024, 9am–4:30pm: Whangārei A&P Show
• Saturday 14 December 2024, 9am–2pm: Matakana Original Market
• Saturday 11 January 2025, 8:30am–1pm: Mangawhai Tavern Market
• Sunday 26 January 2025, 9am–2pm: Waipū Street Market
• Saturday 1 February 2025, 9am–4pm: Paparoa A&P Show

“We’ve chosen existing markets and community events to reach as many people as we can by going to the places where local people are, at key locations during busy, summer periods.

“We know summer is a busy time, so if these dates and times don’t work for you and you’d like to talk to us, you can email northlandproject@nzta.govt.nz. We’ll also be looking at holding more information sessions in locations such as Wellsford and Warkworth in future, as the design progresses, and undertaking more targeted engagement in these areas in the new year,” Mr Robertson says.

People can also find out more and keep up to date with work on the Northland Corridor by visiting the project page and signing up to the email newsletter on the Northland Corridor project page:

Northland Corridor project