The NZ Transport Agency and its highway maintenance contract team for Coastal Otago, the Highway Highlanders, advise drivers that the summer highway maintenance period gets underway this month on the coastal Otago network. The majority of work is concentrated on State Highway 1 between Palmerston and Milton.
There will be:
- Asphalt resurfacing in the one-way system in Dunedin.
- Four area-wide treatment (road reconstructions, overlays) crews in Palmerston, Patmos Ave on the Dunedin Northern Motorway (see photo below), Balclutha and SH8 near Lawrence.
- There will be three crews completing flood repairs between Palmerston and Waihola in November.
- Three crews will be completing pavement maintenance on SH1 between Oamaru and Balclutha.
- Re-sealing is starting in November on SH83 between Kurow and Pukeuri and then SH1 between Oamaru and Balclutha.
- There will be bridge repairs at the Shag River Bridge on SH1 north of Palmerston which will require a stop/go operation at times and night work at the Beaumont Bridge later in November.
- As well as this maintenance of the existing highway network, there are three other major projects on-going on the network carried out by other contractors:
- Waikouaiti watermain renewal (Whitestone Contracting for Dunedin City Council)
- Dunedin’s one-way streets Cycleway (Fulton Hogan for the Transport Agency)
- Dunedin Southern Motorway Safety Improvements (Fulton Hogan for the Transport Agency)
“We advise road users to be patient at this busy time and allow extra time when travelling at peak times, especially between Palmerston and Milton,” says Graeme Hall, Transport Agency System Manager. “It is important to stick to the posted speed limits for the safety of our workers and other road users as there will be loose chip on the road following some of these operations.
“This work has to be done when temperatures are warmer for the best results. We know it can cause delays and we thank everyone for their patience heading into the summer road sealing season.”
Dunedin’s Patmos Ave area-wide treatment site: The photo shows a crew prepping for a new concrete dish channel ahead of the rehabilitation of the downhill lane before Christmas.
