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Motorists travelling overnight on State Highway 1 (SH1) between Tawa and Porirua will need to take a detour route for up to three nights next week, while a signage gantry is installed across the width of SH1 for the new Transmission Gully motorway.

The SH1 closures will be in place between the Tawa and Mungavin Avenue interchanges on Sunday 26 to Tuesday 28 September from 9pm to 5am each night. Northbound traffic will detour via Tawa and Kenepuru Drive onto Mungavin Avenue (Porirua) interchange and reverse for southbound traffic.

“People should allow extra time for their journey and are reminded to follow the speed limits on local roads,” says Waka Kotahi Regional Maintenance and Operations Manager, Mark Owen.

The gantry is a steel overhead beam, spanning the width of the motorway, that will hold the large green destination signs and traffic cameras. This cross-motorway gantry is the largest sign for the new motorway, spanning 34 metres and weighing 30 tonnes.

The work will take up to three nights but may be completed earlier. The team will start by installing the footings of the gantry, requiring precise work across the motorway to ensure the footings perfectly align. The large 34-metre steel truss is then lifted into place, followed by the installation of the signage and traffic cameras. The signs will be covered until the new motorway opens.

“While the closure is in place for the gantry installation, the Waka Kotahi team preparing the wider state highway network for the opening of the new motorway will also be working to install other infrastructure,” Mr Owen says.

“South of Transmission Gully, the team will install foundations for new signage, fibre optic cables for traffic cameras and new electronic signs advising of variable speed limits or road conditions. This will mean we can keep people better informed about their journeys and have greater visibility over the network to make sure it's running smoothly.

“There continues to be a lot of work on and around the Transmission Gully site on SH1 at Linden. We are reminding people to keep to the posted speed limits for their own safety and the safety of our workers.

“We also remind people of the overnight closures in place on SH58 Paremata Road between SH1 and Postgate Drive for road surfacing works. These night closures run through until Thursday 30 September.”

Waka Kotahi is working with the Transmission Gully Public Private Partnership contractor, Wellington Gateway Partnership, and its subcontractor, CPB HEB Joint Venture, to understand the full impacts of the recent Covid-19 lockdown, Alert Level 3 restrictions, and supply chain constraints as a result of the extended lockdown in Auckland.

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