Category: Transport

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Details of upcoming road works and closures.

State Highway 2 Kennedy Good Bridge

Kennedy Good Bridge will be closed to all traffic on Sunday 8 December from 9pm, with set up starting from 8pm.

Drivers wanting to get to and from Lower Hutt will have to use the Melling Link intersection instead. This intersection will be under stop/go which will cause delays. Drivers can still travel in both directions on State Highway 2.

Stop/go traffic management will be in place Monday and Tuesday nights at Kennedy Good Bridge/Major Drive intersections.

Road crews will resurface State Highway 2 at the Kennedy Good Bridge and Major Drive intersections to improve the road’s surface and its skid resistance. It will make the intersection, which carries around 36,000 vehicles daily, smoother and safer for drivers.

Contractors will make the most of the closure to complete other critical maintenance, including work on traffic signals – this will help improve traffic flows through the intersection.

This is part of ongoing work on State Highway 2 through the Hutt Valley, which began in early September. It has seen almost nine lane kilometres of road resurfacing already completed between Dowse Interchange and Belmont, as well as near Manor Park, and River Road and Totara Park in Upper Hutt.

A further five lane kilometres of resurfacing work is planned for State Highway 2 in the Hutt Valley in the New Year. This will be for southbound lanes near Grounsell Crescent to Tirohanga and Petone.

Further updates will be provided before this work starts.

View larger map [PDF, 211 KB]

Work schedule

Sunday 8 December

• Kennedy Good Bridge CLOSED to all traffic
• Vehicles need to take the Melling Link exit to reach Lower Hutt, or other alternative exits/entries.
• There will be stop/go traffic controls at the Major Drive and Kennedy Good Bridge intersections, all directions
• SH2 traffic should prepare for delays at this intersection throughout the night, in both directions
• Stop/go and Kennedy Good Bridge closed between 9 pm and 4.30 am
• Set up from 8 pm, expect delays
• Major Drive, Kelson will be accessible at all times for residents, under stop/go.

Monday 9 December and Tuesday 10 December

• Stop/go traffic controls at the Major Drive and Kennedy Good Bridge intersections
• SH2 traffic can expect delays at this intersection throughout the night, in both directions
• Stop/go between 9 pm and 4.30 am
• Set up from 8 pm, expect delays
• Major Drive, Kelson will be accessible at all times for residents, under stop/go.

State Highway 2 Totara Park

State Highway 2 will be closed  between Whakatiki Street and Totara Park Road to all traffic on Monday 9 December between 9pm and midnight. Drivers will need to detour via Upper Hutt.

Road crews will be carrying out minor traffic signal sensor maintenance at the Gibbons Street intersection. Site inspections will also be done in preparation for future maintenance works.

Work schedule

Monday 9 December

• Whakatiki Street to Totara Park Road CLOSED to all traffic
• Vehicles need to detour via Whakatiki Street, Fergusson Drive and Totara Park Road
• Road closed between 9 pm and midnight
• Set up from 8 pm, expect delays
• The road will re-open by midnight.

View larger map [PDF, 240 KB]

More Information

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Update 11:20 pm: State Highway 2 is now open to one lane following a crash near Timberlea/Brown Owl earlier tonight.

The northbound lane has reopened to traffic, and the southbound lane is expected to reopen shortly.

Lines work remains ongoing and further traffic management may be used overnight.

Drivers can expect ongoing delays and should take extra while driving through the area.

Road users are asked to follow the instructions of contractors on site and obey all traffic management in place.

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9.35pm:

State Highway 2 is  currently closed near Timberlea/Brown Owl in Upper Hutt following a crash tonight.

The road is closed between Akatarawa Road and Norana Road.

The crash, which was reported around nine pm, has downed a power pole and power lines onto the road.

Local road diversions are in place and drivers must  follow the instructions of emergency services at the site.

Delays through the area can be expected until the crash scene is cleared and made safe.

Updates on the highway’s status can be found on the NZTA/Waka Kotahi website.

Highway conditions – Wellington(external link)

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) advises overnight road resurfacing works will take place on State Highway 14 at Fudge Farm on Sunday (1 December).

Work will take place between 9pm and 5am, with stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h temporary speed limit in place for the duration.

This work is the final part of this significant road rebuild project and will help smooth any remaining areas of uneven surface.

Rebuilding the road, which often involves replacing all or most of the structural road layers, improves the longevity of the network, the resilience and ultimately the safety and efficiency for all road users.

This summer maintenance period (September 2024 to May 2025), we’re investing in the largest road rebuild programme ever for the region, with Northland one of three regions across Aotearoa with the most significant road rebuild programmes over the next three years.  

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. 

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 – Northland roadworks(external link)

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

Journey Planner – Northland state highway maintenance programme(external link)

NZTA thanks everyone for their patience while we undertake this important work to improve the safety and efficiency of our roads.

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

State Highway 1 Tūrangi to Waiouru – including the Desert Road – will be closed for vital road rebuilding and repairs for around 2 months from Monday 13 January 2025.

This start date is 1 week later than originally planned, to try and reduce the impact on people’s summer holiday journeys, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

“We appreciate this is a very critical piece of road, so while we can’t postpone for long, we understand summer holiday journeys are important and no-one wants to be stuck in their vehicle longer than necessary,” says Roger Brady, Regional Manager of Maintenance and Operations for the Waikato and Bay of Plenty

“This section of SH1 is in one of the worst conditions in the Waikato region, it’s also one of the most challenging to fix. The alpine environment and potential for a cold snap means we have to do this closure in the peak summer months because the ground temperature needs to be at 13 degrees minimum to carry out pavement works.

Tūrangi to Waiouru is the southernmost section of the SH1 Tīrau to Waiouru Accelerated Maintenance project which is the largest and most ambitious maintenance and renewal project undertaken in New Zealand. NZTA is using block road closures of SH1 to deliver 4 years of road renewals within 16 months.  That’s 121.8 lane km of resurfacing and rebuilding works.

“We do not take road closures lightly, but by closing this section completely from 13 January, NZTA and contractors are able to complete the work more efficiently and safely. We can use more invasive construction methodology, which would not be possible under stop/go traffic management – meaning SH1 will be quickly brought up to a higher standard.

“If we attempted this amount of work under stop/go, road users would experience at least 8 weeks of disruption a year over the next four summers – in addition to a full closure for the bridge deck replacement.

“As well as fewer disruptive delays for motorists navigating temporary traffic management at numerous sites, it also means we can attend to other maintenance work such as upgrading drainage, clearing vegetation, and improving signage and road markings. 

“While the Desert Road is closed, we’ll be rebuilding or repairing 16 lane kilometres and replacing the deck on the Mangatoetoenui Bridge, which is around 23km south of Rangipō. Combining this deck replacement with the maintenance and rebuilding work is an efficiency win for everyone,” Mr Brady says.

More information will be available as soon as the detours are finalised, but it is likely that motorists would be detoured on (from north to south) – SH41, SH47, SH4, SH49 and back to SH1. The detour will add around 30 minutes to people’s journeys.

“It’s not unfamiliar to regular road users in this area, as this is the detour we use every time we do full closures of the Desert Road.”

SH46 will be open to give access to residents and businesses and those undertaking recreational activities in that area, but there will be no throughfare to or from SH1.

“NZTA is working with the freight industry and local councils throughout this project. We are also working with Iwi, businesses including tourism organisations and local freight companies and residents, to understand the impacts potential closures and detours will have,” Mr Brady says.

Nightworks will be required to lay the final seal. Timing is to be confirmed.

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.

Motorists can plan ahead using the NZTA Journey planner – https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/journey-planner(external link) . Our advice is – don’t always rely on Google Maps – sense check it first.

More information on our website: nzta.govt.nz/T2W. 

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

A stretch of State Highway 35 at Te Anaputarua (Whanarua Bay) will be single lane for a number of weeks from next month to repair an underslip.

Transport Rebuild East Coast (TREC) alliance, on behalf of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) will begin work on Monday 2 December to restore the road shoulder and repair an underslip at Te Anaputarua, 10km east of Whanarua Bay on SH35 in the eastern Bay of Plenty.

Crews will be working Monday to Friday, from 6am to 6pm. During this time, the road will be down to one lane, with a stop/go traffic management system in place and a temporary speed limit of 30 km/h.

Between 6pm and 6am, traffic lights will be in operation for people travelling through the work site.

During the work, crews will also focus on improving stormwater management and drainage, to prevent future erosion.

We anticipate this work will take six weeks to complete and is expected to be finished late January, taking into consideration the tools-down period over the Christmas break, which is designed to minimise disruption on the state highway network over the festive season.

Crews will also be onsite at Opape from Thursday 5 December, relocating services ahead of starting work in late January to repair an underslip.

Crews will work a number of additional recovery sites on SH35 over the coming weeks and months.

Some of these sites include stop/go traffic management in some cases and traffic lights in others. It’s important to respect temporary speed restrictions and follow the instructions from crews onsite, to keep road users, communities and roading crews safe.

NZTA and TREC advises road users to plan their journeys and expect delays while we continue to boost the resilience and safety of SH35 and ultimately efficiency for local communities and road users.

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

It’s official, summer has started! The change of season and build up to Christmas means the road renewals season is almost at the halfway point, with great progress being made across the regions.

Contractors are out in force, which means there are more roadworkers out there keeping everyone safe near work sites. While most drivers are getting it right through worksites, it’s disappointing to see some people speeding and putting others at risk, says Sandra King, Bay of Plenty System Manager Bay at NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

“Speeding vehicles can flick up loose metal and other objects, which can be dangerous to our roadworkers and other road users.

“Motorists also have less control at higher speeds. They may clip road cones and send them flying at our roadworkers or into oncoming traffic – or lose control completely.

“Even when there is no one working on a site, we sometimes leave a reduced speed limit in place. This is to protect both road users and the road surface.

Temporary speed limits are left on sites for a reason – safety and quality. People will be driving on either a temporary surface or possibly freshly laid chipseal. We encourage drivers to take extra care, especially at night or in bad weather when visibility is reduced, so they can safely get to their destination, says Ms King.

“As always, the NZTA Journey Planner is the best tool to use on the day of travel, as this provides real-time updates on worksites and other road hazards on the network.”

Journey planner(external link)

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.

Waikato and Bay of Plenty state highway works as at 29 November 2024 [PDF, 359 KB]

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

A reminder that State Highway 1 (SH1) is fully closed weekdays at Ngāruawāhia while NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) contractors complete roadworks on this section of the Waikato Expressway.

The second week of closures starts on Sunday night.

The team is working day and night to get the remedial and safety improvements completed before Christmas.

All traffic has been detoured off this section of SH1 from midnight last Sunday 24 November to noon today Friday 29 November, and that will be repeated from midnight this Sunday 1 December until noon Friday 6 December.

Detours north and south add to travel times, especially at peak hours. Congestion earlier this week at the Horotiu interchange has been alleviated with a lane coned off for northbound traffic leaving the expressway.

After these 2 weeks of full closures any remaining work will be done with traffic sharing lanes and the occasional night closure if needed.

Meanwhile, outside the closures, there are 2 other detours in place until completion in mid-December. The southbound on-ramp at the Gordonton Road Interchange is closed until mid-December. Northbound SH1C traffic is required to exit at Lake Road, head south on SH1 to turn around at Resolution Interchange and proceed north.

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Source: New Zealand Transport Agency