Night closures coming next week for State Highway 6, Whakatu Drive safety barrier works

Nelson drivers must be ready as the next stage of safety improvement works on State Highway 6 Whakatu Drive in Nelson begins this weekend.

Contactors are installing safety barriers below overbridges along Whakatu Drive to help protect road users and the bridge structures in the event of a crash. 

Stage two of these works begins this Sunday, 17 March, and continues until 27 March. It will require night closures of the route between the Annesbrook Roundabout and Link Road/Raeward Roundabout between 8:30 pm and 5:30 am.  

The closures are essential to ensure the safety of work crews. They will also allow the construction to be completed much faster.  

Every effort is being made to minimise disruption for drivers, so the closures have been timed to happen at night when there is less traffic on the road.  

However, the closure means drivers will have to use local road detours via Main Road Stoke, which will mean longer journey times and road users must factor this into their travel plans. 

The highway will be fully open on Friday and Saturday nights, as contractors will not be working on these nights.

Work Programme:

Please note that traffic management and a reduced temporary speed limit will remain in place over the Easter weekend – Friday, 29 March to Monday, 1 April.

Works maps:

Detour route during night closures:

• People travelling to Nelson Airport or businesses on Quarantine Road will detour via Parkers Road and Pascoe Street.
• Access from Nelson Airport to the city will be via Quarantine Road, but temporary speed restrictions and traffic management will be in place.
• The shared path next to the highway will remain open for cyclists and pedestrians in both directions.
• The local road detour via Main Road Stoke has temporarily been approved by Nelson City Council for use by heavy vehicles.
• This detour is expected to add up to 10 minutes to travel times.