Ōtaki River Bridge in line for more improvements

Ōtaki residents can expect to see more improvements on the main bridge on old State Highway 1 this month.

Resurfacing work is planned for the bridge to improve its safety and reliability.

For safety reasons, the bridge will be closed to traffic while the resurfacing is completed. It will be done on the night of Monday, 14 April, from 9 pm to 4:30 am, weather permitting.

The resurfacing has been deliberately timed to be done at night as there will be fewer vehicles on the road. It means overall disruption for drivers is significantly reduced.

However, the closure will require significant detours, particularly for Ōtaki and Te Horo residents.

NZTA/Waka Kotahi and the Wellington Transport Alliance appreciate the work will create travel delays and disruption for drivers and Ōtaki residents.

Every effort is being made to complete it as quickly as possible, and a full closure on a single night allows the work to be done faster and more efficiently. Doing the work during the day would have a much larger impact on traffic flows and affect more road users.

Detour information

• Getting to Ōtaki from The Expressway
  • Northbound vehicles needing to get to Ōtaki from The Expressway will need to travel for approximately five minutes further north to the Ōtaki turnaround/rest area (near Lawlors Road) and turnaround to travel south. This will be well signposted.

Drivers will then need to travel south towards the Ōtaki southbound offramp to get to Ōtaki township. This is expected to add approximately 10 minutes to travel times.

• Getting between Ōtaki and Te Horo
  • People travelling between Te Horo and Ōtaki, will need to take longer detours. This will add approximately 25 - 30 minutes to travel times in both directions.
  • Te Horo to Ōtaki vehicles should use the Peka Peka northbound onramp to The Expressway, travel north to the Ōtaki turnaround/rest area to turn around. They should then travel south and take the Ōtaki southbound offramp to get to Ōtaki.
  • Ōtaki to Te Horo vehicles should use the Ōtaki northbound onramp to The Expressway and travel to the Ōtaki turnaround/rest area to turn around. They should then travel south and take the Peka Peka southbound offramp to get to Te Horo.
• Getting to Waikanae, Peka Peka and Te Horo from The Expressway
  • Residents of Waikanae, Peka Peka and Te Horo can travel as normal from The Expressway, either via Waikanae Beach offramps or via Old State Highway 1 using the Ōtaki offramps.

View the closure maps [PDF, 339 KB]

More Information

• In the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) the Greater Wellington region has $162 million allocated for state highway maintenance and another $116 million ringfenced for state highway pothole prevention – a total investment of $278 million.
  • National Land Transport Programme 2024/27. Greater Wellington Regional Investment Summary [PDF, 158 KB]
• Wellington Transport Alliance
• State Highway Maintenance – FAQs
• Tips for driving through worksites (video)(external link)