Late April and early May will see maintenance works underway on State Highway 2 between Masterton and Carterton.
Roxanne Hilliard, Wellington Transport Alliance Manager, says contractors will complete a range of maintenance tasks.
“They will fix safety barriers – we have four recent barrier strikes that need to be fixed. It is critical damaged barriers are fixed as they are instrumental in preventing head on collisions.”
“They will also be doing road marking, signage replacement and carrying out water cutting – this removes excess bitumen from the road surface, improves road grip, and makes it safer to drive on,” Ms Hilliard says.
Ms Hilliard says the work requires road closures over five consecutive nights, and State Highway 2 will be closed to traffic in both directions.
“We appreciate full closures do affect drivers. However, with winter approaching it is vital this section of the highway is in the best shape it can be for the winter months ahead.”
The work will be underway from Sunday, 27 April to Thursday, 1 May. The highway will be closed to north and southbound traffic each night between 9 pm and 4 am (works conclude Friday, 2 May at 4 am).
Ms Hilliard says local road detours will be available via Chester and Norfolk Road, and Cornwall Road and Hughes Line (see work and detour details below). Drivers should factor in more time for travel particularly on Sunday and Monday nights when the Chester and Norfolk Road longer detour is in place.
“Because these are local roads, road users must drive to the conditions, obey the speed limit, and be patient if there is queued traffic. We want people to get to their destinations safely.”
Drivers travelling on State Highway 2 between the Wairarapa and Wellington also need to be aware of other road works on State Highway 2 that will affect their journeys. This includes road rebuild work and a northbound closure in Greytown, as well as drainage works under stop/go in Carterton and safety improvement works in Upper Hutt between Totara Park and Fergusson Drive with a southbound closure.
More information on the above works can be found in the below media releases Drivers should also check Journey Planner ahead of travelling:
SH2 Greytown road rebuild(external link)
SH2 Totara Park – Fergusson Drive Safety Improvements (external link)
It is essential people plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.
NZTA/Waka Kotahi and the Wellington Transport Alliance thank the public for their patience and cooperation while these essential state highway maintenance works are completed.
Works Schedule and Detour Routes:
