Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is advising drivers to plan ahead with night works planned for early next month as State Highway 1, Ruahine Street, gets a significant upgrade.
From 1 October to 23 October, the Waka Kotahi Wellington Transport Alliance will be carrying out reconstruction and resilience work on the road.
Waka Kotahi Regional Transport Services Manager Mark Owen says the road has reached a stage in its life cycle where it needs a comprehensive reconstruction.
“It means road crews will have to remove and replace the road to a deeper level than we do for a normal resurfacing job. We’ll be installing deep layers of dense waterproof asphalt, finishing with a top layer of specialised asphalt to improve surface texture, skid-resistance and rainwater drainage. The end result will be that the road is stronger, more resilient and safer.”
Mr Owen says the nature of the work requires Ruahine Street to be closed at night while the work is done.
“Closing the road completely lets road crews work more efficiently and allows them to finish the upgrade sooner than would be possible with a partial closure. It is also safer for road workers and for road users.”
As part of the project, contractors will also add a layer of asphalt on Wellington Road up to Henry Street on behalf of Wellington City Council.
Mr Owen says local road detours will be available, and the work has been timed to happen at night to minimise traffic disruption as much as possible.
“This is a very busy road. On average, around 30,000 vehicles use it every day. Doing the work at night when traffic volumes are lower avoids creating major congestion and delays during the day.
“However, it is an important and well-used route, and we want to ensure that people travelling to and from Miramar, and particularly the airport, are aware of the works and plan their travel accordingly,” Mr Owen says.
