With the summer road maintenance season in full swing and construction work continuing, multiple work sites are in place along the State Highway 1 coastal route between Picton and Christchurch.
In particular, south of Kaikōura to Oaro, the number of work sites has increased this month with several stop/go traffic management sites in place, the NZ Transport Agency advises.
“This may increase journey times,” says Transport Agency Network Operations Manager Tresca Forrester.
“We encourage people, particularly anyone catching an Interisland Ferry, to plan their journeys and allow up to three hours to travel between Christchurch and Kaikōura and five-and-a-half hours between Christchurch and Picton.
“Our crews have a big work repair and rebuild programme underway and combined with summer also being the best time for business-as-usual road repairs, people can expect to see more than usual active work sites and traffic management in place. As well as people operating Stop/ Go signs, some areas also have traffic signals.
“It’s a balancing act to schedule work to have a minimal effect on travel time while also ensuring the work gets done before winter. We understand these delays will have an impact on the community, the freight industry and all road users and thank everyone for their patience,” says Ms Forrester.
Drivers wait on the south side of Kaikōura last week as work continues at several different places requiring one-way passage
Around five full night closures are planned for mid to late March in the Hundalees at Okarahia. The highway will be fully closed from 9pm to 7am with a detour for through traffic north of Peketa and at Waipara to Route 70 via Waiau. Residential and emergency access either side of the work sites will be available. More details will be provided by the highway maintenance team closer to the date.
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