Roadworks will be a common sight along the Kapiti Coast over the next few weeks, but the good news for motorists is that it’s happening overnight to keep delays to a minimum.
As part of a $5 million seasonal roadworks safety programme, the NZ Transport Agency will be re-surfacing three sections of State Highway 1 in Kapiti during March and April. The roadworks start from the Kapiti rail overbridge through to the Otaihanga roundabout. Regional Performance Manager Mark Owen says that the Transport Agency will do its best to minimise any disruption to traffic.
“The work is scheduled to be done at night so as not to cause delays to daytime traffic heading up and down the coast. Crews will be onsite from 7pm – 6am, Monday 24 March to Thursday 17 April.
“The crews deserve real credit. Working through the night isn’t everyone’s idea of a perfect day at the office, but it certainly beats holding up peak hour traffic.”
Mr Owen says that while the Agency does not expect any major delays, it will be monitoring traffic flows and will take action if any significant disruption occurs.
“We expect to have the road fully open each morning, and drivers should not have any delays to their journey. Should you be driving here at night, there will be traffic management in place, with reduced speed limits. For your safety, the safety of our road crews and to prevent damage to your vehicle please stick to the temporary speed limits.”
“Full traffic management will be in place, however drivers should expect delays of up to 10 minutes at times. Again, please drive carefully here while the roadworks are going on.”
“We know that speed limits at roadworks can be a bit of a pain, but people must stick to these limits for three important reasons; to protect your vehicle, to protect you, your passengers and other motorists, and to protect our contractors.
“Road contractors are working hard throughout the night in dark and often inhospitable conditions to make our roads safer, and we ask that drivers return the favour and keep them safe too.“
Mr Owen says daytime roadworks are also scheduled along the busy Mana Esplanade from Monday 31 March to Friday 11 April to undertake pavement repairs and maintenance. To keep disruption to a minimum, no roadworks in the Wellington region will be scheduled over the Easter break.
Mr Owen says that while roadworks can be frustrating, well-maintained road surfaces are crucial to keeping New Zealanders safe on the state highways.
“Pot holes, cracked roads and slippery roads that have lost their skid resistance can increase the risk of crashes and injuries. Plus, the feedback we get tells us that good road surfaces are important to our customers as well. While we know roadworks can be dusty, noisy and just generally a bit of a pain, drivers will have a better, safer road once this work is done.
“On behalf of everyone here at the Transport Agency, thank you in advance for your patience, understanding and courtesy while we do this important work to keep Kiwis safer on our roads.”
Full details of this year’s roadworks programme are available by visiting http://www.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/current-conditions/maintenance-programme/wellington-kapiti.html(external link)
Drivers can also join the Transport Agency’s Twitter feed (@NZTAWgtn) to get real-time updates about what’s happening in and around the Wellington region. Information is also available by signing up at www.onthemove.govt.nz(external link) or by calling 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49).
For more information please contact:
Anthony Frith
Media Manager – Central
NZ Transport Agency
T +64 4 894 5251
M 64 27 213 7617
E anthony.frith@nzta.govt.nz
