Update: 11:40am
The stop/go originally planned for State Highway 1 Picton Elevation will no longer proceed before Christmas.
Drainage works have proceeded faster than expected, and a further site evaluation has been done.
As a result, it has been decided not to carry out surfacing works this week and to keep State Highway 1 open to two lanes through the Picton Elevation.
This ensures there will be minimal disruption to holiday traffic on this busy route in the lead-up to Christmas.
A moratorium on roadworks will be in place across the entire state highway network from 22 December to 7 January.
This ensures delays and disruptions on state highways are minimised as much as possible over the holidays. However, contractors will be on-call to attend emergency maintenance and safety works as required.
Update: 20 December
The stop/go planned for this morning has been postponed due to resourcing issues.
It means the highway will be open under two lanes at the Picton Elevation this morning.
An update will be provided when a revised schedule is confirmed.
19 December 2023
Stop/go traffic management will be in place on State Highway 1 just south of Picton tomorrow morning (Wednesday, 20 December) as road crews repair and replace part of the road’s surface.
The work is being carried out at the Picton Elevation – the site of an ongoing drainage project designed to repair and reconstruct the highway, which has been damaged by a shift in groundwater flows.
Contractors will lay asphalt in the southbound lane to ensure the highway’s surface is maintained and protected during the roadworks moratorium period over the Christmas and New Year’s holiday break – 22 December to 7 January.
Because of the work involved and the use of heavy machinery, this section of the highway will be restricted to one lane and under stop/go traffic management between 7:30 am and 11:30 am.
The work is deliberately timed to fit in with Cook Strait ferry schedules and to minimise any impact on holiday traffic as much as possible.
People travelling to and from Picton on Wednesday morning can expect some travel delays and should plan their journeys accordingly.
More information about this project can be found on our website.