Central Otago summer highway work underway

Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes District highways have a big season of summer maintenance and repairs ahead, says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

"It may well be the biggest construction period for the two districts in many seasons,” says Peter Standring, Maintenance Contract Manager for Waka Kotahi in Central Otago.

Aspiring Highways, on behalf of Waka Kotahi, will be delivering road reconstruction and resurfacing projects from now until mid-March as daylight hours increase, and the warmer temperatures and dry air help new seals stick as intended to the road surface. 

“While we are pleased to have this work scheduled and people will appreciate the finished result, we ask people to take special care given the number of road crews they may come across on some key routes in and out of Central Otago and around Queenstown and Wanaka,” says Mr Standring.

“There are also a number of third-party, privately-funded projects underway adjoining or on the highway, adding to the number of road crews people will encounter. If people can build in an extra 20 minutes to their journeys, it will help ease the pressure on everyone and reduce the temptation to make up time if there is a short delay.”

He reminds drivers that road crew members appreciate a friendly wave and people slowing down to the posted speed limit near work sites. “Our crews work in all weathers and do their best to make their sites as safe as possible for everyone, including themselves.”

What is happening this summer in Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes Districts?

Overall there is 60km of highway getting resealed starting Monday, 7 November going through to Sunday, 16 December.

The highways will be as free of work as possible in the lead-in to Christmas and the New Year peak holiday periods when most traffic is on the roads. Resurfacing work will continue from 23 January into March, 2023.

Three of the planned resurfacing projects will also cause disruption to road users due to their location and will involve significant traffic management, including partial road closures. Some of these works will be done overnight to minimise daytime delays. These include:

• SH6 Kawarau Gorge through to east of the Crown Range intersection
• SH6 Jack Hanley Drive intersection, Frankton/Queenstown. 
• SH6 near Wanaka Airport.

Work in the New Year also includes two pavement renewal/reconstruction sites of two kilometres at SH8 Millers Flat and SH6 Kidd Creek.

• Residents in places getting high impact highway work should expect to hear about the work in advance through direct letterbox newsletter updates or a chat with the project team.
• Projects will be co-ordinated with district councils and other third party construction companies wherever possible to minimise conflicts.
• Road users need to keep an eye out for electronic message boards on highways warning them work is programmed or is ahead on the road.

The Waka Kotahi Traffic and Travel page is a good place to check your route before you head off for any planned work sites.

Traffic information page(external link)

Roxburgh, SH8: A significant programme of culvert replacement work in Roxburgh starts Sunday, 6 November. More details on this next week.

How to get details and keep up-to-date

If there are concerns or questions around these works, road users can contact the Aspiring Highways team at: customer@aspiringhighways.co.nz