Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is looking to seal in a great summer for the Coromandel with chipseal repairs on State Highway 25 and State Highway 25A starting next week.
Update: 20 October 2021 3.40pm
Lockdown has put the brakes on plans to seal around 100 sites on State Highway 25 and State Highway 25A over October and November.
The sealing crews are based in areas that are currently in Level 3 lockdown, so to avoid risk to communities still in Level 2, they will not be travelling to the Coromandel to carry out this work.
Sealing will now take place in other areas, with crews returning to the Coromandel when it is safe to do so.
While the aim is still to complete this work ahead of the busy Christmas holiday period, this is dependent on Covid-19 Alert Levels. All routine maintenance work is stopped on state highways across the country during the busy period around Christmas and New Year.
Waka Kotahi appreciates the patience of the community as we work through the uncertainty brought by Covid-19.
Waikato System Manager Cara Lauder says chipseal crews will start at the western end of SH25 on Monday 4 October and will reseal over 100 sites in time for the busy Christmas period.
“Summer is a great time to visit the Coromandel, so we’re working hard to get this work completed before the busy summer holiday period.”
The warmer spring and summer months are the best time for resurfacing as daylight hours are longer and the warm temperatures and dry air help the new seal stick to the road surface.
Work will begin at Waitakaruru next week before heading eastwards on SH25 towards Thames, then clockwise around the peninsula to Hikuai then Kopu on SH25A before completing the last section to Waihi. Work is scheduled to be finished around the end of November, subject to weather and any other unexpected delays.
Ms Lauder says in total, 28 kilometres of SH25 and SH25A will get a fresh coat of seal.
“Drivers can expect to see Stop/Go traffic management with speed reduced to 30 km/h where chipseal crews are working. In some locations it may be necessary to fully close the road for short periods of up to 15 minutes to allow crews to work safely. Mobile message boards will provide advance warning a few days before crews begin work.”
For a period of at least 24 hours after a site has been sealed, and before it is swept, it continues to operate under a reduced temporary speed limit while vehicles travel over the seal and help “bed in” the chip and to reduce the risk of chip damaging windscreens. Following this, the site is swept, excess chip is removed and the temporary speed limit remains in place until line marking has been reinstated (within 48 hours of the site being sealed, weather dependent).
It is important motorists adhere to the relevant temporary speed limits during these works to avoid damage to their vehicles and ensure their safety and that of other road users and road workers.
These works are part of the Waka Kotahi spring/summer road maintenance programme, which will see repairs and reseals on state highways across the Waikato to ensure the safety and resilience of the state highway network.
Waka Kotahi thanks motorists for their patience while we carry out this important work.
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