Category: Transport

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

The end of construction is in sight for new roundabouts being built on State Highway 6 near Marlborough Airport.

The end of construction is in sight for new roundabouts being built on State Highway 6 near Marlborough Airport.

The project is delivering improvements to the highway between Woodbourne and Springlands, with work ongoing since the beginning of this year.

It has seen the construction of two new roundabouts. One at the intersection of SH6, Saint Leonards Road, and Bells Road – and a second at the intersection of Tancred Crescent and State Highway 6. Both roundabouts will improve access onto and across State Highway 6

The project is about to enter its final stages, with sealing work planned  to begin at the end of this week and finish in early December.

Both roundabouts will be surfaced with an ultra-fine seal that is best for skid resistance and improving driver safety.

The Bells / St Leonard Roads roundabout will be done first, from 29 November to 1 December during the day and night. A road closure between Jacksons Road and Westwood Avenue will be in place.

Contractors aim to complete sealing works on the State Highway 6 / Tancred Crescent from 3 to 4 December at night to avoid interfering with travellers getting into and out of the airport.

The work at the Bells/St Leonards roundabout is timed for a weekend to minimise the impact on drivers and residents.  Measures will be in place to ensure residents retain access to properties around the St Leonards/Bells Road roundabout. Access will also be maintained through the work areas for emergency services.

Local road detours will be available, and drivers must use the recommended routes. They are the best and safest options.

The detours will mean extra travel time. Drivers must factor this into their journeys.

Residents close to the work site will experience noise, lights, and vibration while the work is underway. NZTA/Waka Kotahi apologises for any inconvenience this may cause.

Works schedule and detour routes

SH6 – Bells and St Leonards Roads Roundabout – day and night road closure:

• 10 pm Friday, 29 November to midnight Sunday, 1 December
• SH6 CLOSED between Jacksons Road and Westwood Avenue.
• Detour via Old Renwick Road and Murphys Road. If travelling from Blenheim, detour via Murphys Road, Old Renwick Road, Jacksons Road onto the existing SH6 one-way closure.
• Access into the Airport and NZ Defence Force base via Jacksons Road.
• All heavy vehicles need to use Hutcheson Street (not Murphys Road).
• People travelling between Nelson and Blenheim are recommended to use SH62 and SH1 and avoid SH6 and Woodbourne.

View larger image [PNG, 398 KB]

SH6 – Tancred Crescent roundabout (outside the Airport) – night works:

• Weekday night works planned for early December (currently scheduled for Tuesday 3 and 4 December, with the following week Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 December contingency)
• Please note dates may change if there is bad weather.
• Tancred Crescent (entry into the airport and base) will be CLOSED.
• The current set up on SH6 will be in place, which is a one direction lane closure between Jacksons Road and Caldwell Road West. (Eastbound direction is closed.)
• Work will take place between 9.00pm and 4.30am, to avoid flight times.
• Emergency services including the fire and emergency based at the airport and emergency flights will always be catered for.
• People travelling from Nelson/Renwick into Blenheim will need to take a detour. The detour will be via Old Renwick Road and Jacksons Road for light vehicles.
• Heavy vehicles will need to take the same route to Anglesea Street, then left onto Boyce Street and onto SH6. Right onto Rapaura Road/SH62, right on Jacksons Road and back onto SH6.

Current detour on SH6/Tancred Crescent Roundabout (please note entrance to the airport both the temporary road out of the airport and Tancred Cres will be CLOSED during the night works while sealing work is underway.)

View larger image [PNG, 400 KB]

More information

SH6 Middle Renwick Road / Tancred Crescent roundabout

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

With SH6 re-opening this morning north of Haast in South Westland, more safety work will continue in the lead-in to Christmas, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). This will involve some daytime delays for road users.

Currently, the highway is closing overnight from 9pm through to 7 am the next day while NZTA gains more assurance of slope stability.

Although rockfall safety-critical work has been completed to enable the route to open after nearly a fortnight’s closure, more rockfall reduction work needs to occur to provide more resilience around the clock in future wet weather or land movements, says Mark Pinner, System Manager for NZTA in the Central Region of the South Island/Te Wai Pounamu.

This section of highway was closed after record rainfall caused flooding, slips and rockfall at a number of places, including above the road at the site of 2012’s  Epitaph Slip, (north of Haast, south of Lake Moeraki and Knights Point).

Two afternoons, five hour closures for several weeks

“The only way to do this more significant blasting work safely is to have slightly longer closures two afternoons a week, Tuesday and Thursday, midday to 5 pm through until the Christmas shut-down,” says Mr Pinner.

“We advise drivers to wait on either side of the closure points while the blasting occurs; at Haast (approximately 30 minutes south) or at Franz or Fox Glaciers (around 1 hour north), so that they are able to easily access refreshments and public toilet facilities.”

Other less intrusive stops

Crews will also be ensuring the new rock bund at the southern end of the rockfall site remains intact and the traffic lanes are clear, at the same time trucks will continue emptying rockfall from the inside of the traffic lane. This work may cause short Stop/Go delays across the day of up to 15 minutes.

Sensors and signs

The other key change south of Knights Point at the slip and rockfall site, is the installation of sensors. These movement sensors in the ground are linked to traffic lights. If any ground movement is detected by the sensors, the lights will automatically warn drivers to stop as a hazard is present.  

“While we are feeling a lot more confident that the rockfall site has now been sluiced, immediately unstable rocks airbagged or scaled off the face and bigger rock features risk reduced with explosives, we can’t fully remove risk in these areas. That is why we have installed the sensors and the new traffic lights.”

Outside of these current closures, and any future weather events which could trigger rockfall, SH6 will be open for all traffic.

For further information:

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Northbound lanes on State Highway 1, between Aotea Quay and Ngauranga Interchange, will be down to one or two lanes overnight next month for resurfacing.

The work will take place from Sunday, 1 December, and is expected to be complete by mid-December, weather permitting.

Crews will be working between 9 pm and 4.30 am, with the two lanes reopening each morning in time for commuter traffic.

Work will be carried out Sunday to Thursday nights, with no work on Friday and Saturday nights.

Traffic management will be set up from 8 pm, so drivers should expect delays from then. Southbound traffic can travel as usual.

Earlier this year, sections of the State Highway 1 Urban Motorway were resurfaced between Aotea Quay and the Terrace Tunnel. This work continues this programme.

It is a busy section of the highway, and we appreciate people’s patience as we make this stretch of the motorway safer and more resilient for road users.

Drivers are recommended to add extra time to their journey and expect delays until this state highway maintenance is completed.

These works are weather-dependent, and schedules may change if bad weather occurs.

View larger map [PDF, 299 KB]

Works schedule and location:

• Sunday, 1 December to mid-December
• Sunday to Thursday nights, 9 pm – 4:30 am. No work on Friday or Saturday nights
• Traffic management to be set up from 8 pm

More Information:

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Blenheim’s Main Street is in line for pre-Christmas resurfacing in the first week of December.

The work will see contractors resurfacing State Highway 1 – Main Street between Elzy and Opawa Streets as part of the State Highway Summer Maintenance Programme.

They will remove the existing road surface, complete road repairs, lay new asphalt, and install new line markings.

This work will be under a one-lane closure (northbound lane closed) from Sunday, 1 December, until Thursday, 5 December 2024 – between 6 pm and  6 am.

A local road detour will be available. The highway will remain open to southbound traffic.

The highway will be subject to a temporary speed limit of 30 km/h, which applies outside work hours. Drivers must obey the speed limit. It is essential for the safety of the public and road crews and protects the road and vehicles from being damaged.

The work has been deliberately timed to be done at night when traffic volumes are lower. This helps minimise disruption for drivers and local businesses as much as possible.

State Highway 1 Main Street is a critical transport link, and it carries over 11,000 vehicles daily, so regular maintenance is essential for its ongoing resilience and safety.

Works Schedule:

• Sunday, 1 December to Thursday 5 December. 6 pm to 6 am.
• SH1 Main St, CLOSED to northbound traffic between Elzy and Opawa Streets.
• Northbound traffic detour via Elzy, Kinross and Opawa Streets.
• Northbound heavy vehicles must detour via Alabama Road and Redwood Street. Allow an extra  5 minutes for this detour.
• SH1 remains OPEN to southbound traffic.
• A 30km temporary speed limit will be in place while this work is undertaken and will remain in place outside of work hours.

Summer Maintenance Season – Tips and Advice:

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is seeking feedback on how to recover the costs for administering the Clean Car Standard (CCS).

Under the scheme, importers pay charges for light vehicles with high CO₂ emissions and receive credits for light vehicles with low CO₂ emissions.

The Standard was introduced on 1 January 2023 and the administration costs are currently Government funded. In April this year Cabinet agreed that the Standard should move to a user-pays model that will see administration costs recovered from mid-2025. The change will make the scheme financially sustainable.

NZTA is seeking feedback from vehicle importers, industry groups and the public on how to structure a fee for vehicle importers and consumers. The consultation is open now and the last day for feedback is 10 December 2024.

Before we move to a user-pays model, we encourage vehicle importers and consumers to have their say on how to structure a fee. While the fee will be modest, and it’s unlikely to influence demand and supply, we want to apply the fee in a fair, modest and convenient way.

Further details on the consultation, including how to make a submission, can be found at:

NZTA consultation hub(external link)

Feedback gathered in the consultation process will inform final decisions on how the administration costs will be recovered.

The Government intends to make a decision on the cost recovery model in early 2025.

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

All safety-critical rock blasting and scaling north of Haast at Epitaph Slip area in South Westland is now complete, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

NZTA is aiming to reopen SH6 south of Knights Point, north of Haast at 10 am on Friday morning (22 November), subject to any further weather issues and road loading tests, says Mark Pinner, System Manager for NZTA in the Central Region of the South Island/Te Wai Pounamu.

The highway will also close overnight for the time being from 9pm through to 7 am the next day while NZTA gains more assurance of slope stability.

This section of highway has been closed since the record 9 November rainfall which caused flooding, slips and rockfall at a number of places, including above the road at the site of 2012’s Epitaph Slip.

“The rock scaling and explosives team has been working continually since Monday last week to make this site safe for it to reopen. As well as removing rocks which directly threatened the highway, using air bags, explosives and helicopter sluicing, they have also tackled a number of other unstable rock faces around this section of highway, with more to come to provide some future-proofing,” says Mr Pinner.

A bund or safety wall has now been built from fallen rock at the southern end of the rockfall site.

Crews will continue to clear the catch pit between the old road alignment and the new route over coming weeks, requiring some Stop/Go traffic management. Some future more sizeable blasting work will also require road closures for part of some days, with details to be confirmed soon.

If there is further heavy rain, NZTA may close the road as a precaution.

Additional safety sensors and lights

Mr Pinner says there has been minimal movement on site since recording began on 9 November. However, some additional safety features are being installed. These include movement sensors in the ground that are linked to warning lights. If any ground movement is detected by the sensors, the lights will automatically warn drivers to stop as a hazard is present.  

“Thanks to all drivers for building in extra time over the next few weeks between Lake Moeraki and Haast,” says Mr Pinner. “It is never convenient to close a highway and the start of the summer tourism season was particularly unwelcome this year. But we need to be confident the route is safe.”

For further information:

Journey Planner – West Coast highway conditions(external link)

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

People travelling throughout Hawke’s Bay over the next few months can expect to see a lot of activity renewing (replacing road surfaces) and resealing the region’s state highways.

The 2024/25 summer maintenance and renewals season is now well underway.

In addition to a busy summer maintenance and renewals season, cyclone recovery work is continuing.

During the course of the maintenance and renewals season, which typically runs between now and March when the weather is warmer and drier, approximately 10 lane kilometres* of state highways are expected to be renewed in total throughout the region.

Renewing the road involves removing the existing road surface and underlying structure and replacing it with new materials.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) Regional Manager of Maintenance and Operations Rua Pani says a focus of the maintenance and renewals season is ensuring a safe, reliable, resilient state highway network.

“Undertaking a high number of road renewals is a key priority in the region. This is how we improve road conditions long-term,” says Ms Pani.

“We are working hard to minimise the impact of works on road users, but some level of disruption is unavoidable. We appreciate the patience of all road users in Hawke’s Bay as we complete this necessary maintenance work on the region’s roads,” says Ms Pani.

Some of the activity planned through the renewals programme

SH2: 

• Work at Rakaipaaka north of Wairoa has been completed. 
• Work at Tawhara Station, south of Wairoa has been completed.
• Work at north Ohinepeka has been completed.
• Taniwha Station in central Hawke’s Bay. This site is currently underway and expected to be complete mid-December.
• Work in Waipwa is due to begin in January.

SH5: 

• Te Haroto School. The site is due to be set up early in December and expected to be completed mid-January.
• Gum Trees. The site is due to be set up early January and expected to be completed by early March.
• Old Mill. The site is due to be set up early November and expected to be completed mid- December.
• There will be some further work on two sites from last season including Māori Gully and Waioni Bridge.

SH50: 

• South of Mangamaukau Stream – Tikokino village between Holden Street and Smedley Road. The site is due to get underway late January and is expected to be complete mid-March.
• Watsons South, just north of the intersection with Ashley Clinton Rd. Approximately one month in duration and 757m in length. This site is starting early February and completion is expected mid-March.
• Balfours Rd, just north of Makaretu Rd intersection. This site is 165m long. It is programmed for early January until mid-February.
• Mangatewai South, south of Mangatewai River bridge. This site is 290m long and programmed for mid-January until late February.

Alongside the summer maintenance and renewals season, Hawke’s Bay road crews are continuing cyclone recovery work.

NZTA is working alongside Transport Rebuild East Coast (TREC) and local contractors on a range of recovery projects.

TREC’s Hawke’s Bay project spokesperson Chris Mahoney says TREC crews are making good progress alongside local contractors on multiple recovery sites, fixing damaged sections of the road, stablising slips, repairing and maintaining bridges.

The recovery programme includes sites at Devil’s Elbow and White Pine Bush on SH2, repairs at Dillon’s Hill Culvert, and North of Hill Road Culvert on SH5, and bridge repairs at Chesterman’s Bridge and Aschott Bridge on SH50.

“We expect the bulk of the recovery work to be completed by autumn next year. There will be a handful of sites that run for a longer period, but much of the traffic management will be off the network come Easter.”

With the increase in renewal work, road users can expect to encounter a number of roadwork sites and sections of newly sealed road on their journeys.

“It is important that drivers follow the temporary traffic management in place, adhere to all speed restrictions in place and respect our crews while travelling through the roadworks site.

 “Speeding over a freshly sealed road can damage the new seal, lifting and flicking stones from the road that can, in turn, damage nearby vehicles or your own. To minimise the risk of damage to both vehicles and the new seal, it is crucial that road users adhere to all temporary speed restrictions in place,” says Ms Pani.