Recent bad weather means more time is needed to complete these works.
Contractors will be back on site again next week on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday, nights (16, 17 and 20 June).
It means State Highway 2 will be closed to southbound traffic between 9pm and 4:30am on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday nights.
As per previous closures, a local road detour will be available via Lower Hutt. It will require extra travel time, and drivers should plan their journeys accordingly.
The planned northbound closure of State Highway between Petone off-ramp and Dowse Dr Interchange for tonight (Thursday, 6 June), has been cancelled.
The highway will be open to all traffic in both directions.
Next week’s southbound closures will still proceed as planned.
New dates and times for these works have now been confirmed.
Work crews will resume replacing median barriers near the State Highway 2 Petone Overbridge on Monday, 3 June.
This work will be ongoing in two separate phases over the next two weeks.
The median barrier improvements will require a full closure of State Highway 2 for northbound traffic on Monday to Thursday nights next week.
This will be followed by a full southbound closure on Sunday to Thursday nights of the following week (9 – 13 June).
Closures have been timed to start later on Thursday nights to accommodate late night shopping at Queensgate Mall in Lower Hutt
Local road detours through Lower Hutt will be available and drivers must allow extra time for their travel while the closures are in place.
NZTA/Waka Kotahi and the Wellington Transport Alliance thank drivers for their patience and cooperation while this critical state highway safety work is completed.
An extra night of work has been scheduled for this project. A further night closure will be in place this Sunday night (12 May) between 9pm and 4am to allow barrier installation work at Cornish Street to be completed.
The northbound closure for State Highway 2 planned for this Sunday night (12 May) has been postponed. A new date for this closure will be provided when it is confirmed.
Instead, work crews will operate under a lane closure, but the highway will be open to northbound traffic.
The schedule has also been changed for planned safety barrier works at the SH2 Petone Overbridge.
An extra night of work has been scheduled for this project.
A further night closure will be in place this Sunday night (12 May) between 9 pm and 4 am to allow barrier installation work at Cornish Street to be completed.
If bad weather occurs, Tuesday (14 May) is set aside as a contingency.
There are also further lane closures planned for safety barrier replacements at the Petone Overbridge. These will happen Monday to Thursday next week, between 9 pm and 4:30 am
Drivers are urged to follow all traffic management and temporary speed limits in place at the works site. This is essential for driver safety, and also of our road crews.
Changes have been made to plans to build a new barrier at the intersection of State Highway 2 and Cornish Street in Petone.
Initially, work had been due to start over the weekend with a lane closure for traffic heading north on State Highway 2.
However, investigations show a shoulder and lane closure does not provide sufficient space for the work that must be done.
Instead, the barrier works will be completed under a full northbound closure of State Highway 2 starting this Sunday, 28 April. It’s estimated the work will take two weeks to complete.
Work crews will also replace safety barriers under the Petone Overbridge during the closures.
To minimise disruption the work will be carried out at night, Sunday to Thursday, between 9 pm and 4 am. The work is deliberately timed to happen at night when fewer vehicles are on the road.
A local road detour will be available via Lower Hutt. However, it will increase travel times, so road users must factor this into their travel plans.
More progress is being made on making State Highway 2 a safer route for Wellington drivers, with a permanent barrier to be built at the old Cornish Street access in Petone.
Two years ago, NZTA/Waka Kotahi and the Hutt City Council agreed to block the street’s intersection with State Highway 2.
SH2 Cornish Street intersection closing to improve safety (Media Release – 5 April 2022)
It followed a fatal crash in 2021, where a driver drove the wrong way onto State Highway 2 from Cornish Street. Access to the intersection has been closed since April 2022.
Mark Owen, Regional Manager Maintenance and Operations, says while there have been temporary barriers in place blocking access from Cornish St to the highway, the time has come to put a permanent barrier in place.
SH2/Cornish Street - where permanent barriers will be installed
"Work crews will install a permanent barrier from Sunday, 21 April. It means the intersection, an identified high-risk area for crashes, will be permanently closed."
"By doing this, we are proactively preventing crashes and making this part of State Highway 2 much safer for the public. Serious crashes have devastating consequences for families and communities, and it is important that we make changes to improve road safety when we can," Mr Owen says.
Installing the new permanent barriers is a significant job. Lane closures will be in place next week ahead of a full northbound closure beginning the following week. Road crews will also replace median barriers in the area while this project is underway.
Mr Owen says the public will be informed of further details on the planned northbound State Highway 2 closure once they are confirmed.
"We are still finalising the details for the closure, how long it will be, and its required detour. We will make sure they are shared as soon as possible."
"We appreciate these works will cause delays and some inconvenience for drivers. But a safer highway benefits everyone, and the gains everyone will get from this work are worth the price of the disruption it will cause," Mr Owen says.
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