SH3 south of new Waitara Rd roundabout being rebuilt/resealed

A stretch of State Highway 3 either side of the new Waitara Road intersection roundabout will be rebuilt over the next 2 months.

Crews will begin the work next Monday (31 March), focussing initially on a section of SH3 south of the intersection with Waitara Road.

To complete this rebuild safely and efficiently, this section of SH3 will be closed at nights, from 8pm til 5.30am. The work will begin on a Sunday night and will finish each week early Friday morning. During the day it will remain open under a temporary speed limit.

The work is expected to wrap up on Thursday 17 April.

During the work, a detour will be in place via Richmond Road, Kairau Road East, and Waitara Road at night. The detour will add 5 minutes to journey times.

Residents will continue to have access to their properties during the night closures.

Emergency services will also be able to travel through the site.

Crews are also planning a rebuild on SH3 north of the intersection to take place in May, and details will follow once confirmed.

Rebuilding the road involves removing the existing road surface and underlying road structure (pavement) and replacing it with new materials. This will boost the resilience and durability of that section of the road, ultimately benefiting the safety and efficiency of travel as well.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi understands the closures will be frustrating however by closing these sections at night, the work can be finished a lot quicker than if it was done under stop/go traffic management.

Please drive to the conditions and expect delays while driving the detour.

Waitara Road roundabout

The road rebuilds are part of the SH3 Te Ara Tūtohu: Waitara to Bell Block work.

Construction on the Waitara Road roundabout will continue during the day, while the road is rebuilt at night.

Construction of the roundabout is progressing well. It is being built in stages and is expected to be complete later this year.

From late April to late May, we will start on Stage 4 of the Waitara Road roundabout which will see the completion of the roundabout.  

Elsewhere on SH3, between New Plymouth and Tongapōrutu

• Crews will begin work on Sunday 30 March to complete asphalt surfacing on SH3 at Strandon, between Paynters Avenue and Mangaorei Road. The work is expected to take 3 nights and during that time, a single lane closure will be in place but both directions of traffic will continue to use the site, with minimal delays.
•  Work to install a roundabout at the intersection of SH3 and Mangorei Road, south of New Plymouth continues, with much of the initial enabling works complete.

Crews will begin the reconstruction of the road at this intersection from Sunday 30 March.

This work will be completed at night (6pm-6am, excluding Friday and Saturday nights) under stop/go traffic controls, with access to/from Mangorei Road at SH3 closed during works.

During the day (6am-6pm), and on Friday and Saturday nights, SH3 will return to contraflow (two-way) traffic controls, with access to/from Mangorei Road open.

The Waitara to Bell Block detour