SH1 Desert Road resurfacing works update

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advises road resurfacing work to improve the quality and longevity of State Highway 1 on the Desert Road has been postponed due to an unfavourable weather forecast for the week ahead.

Work will resume on Tuesday 1 December from 7pm, with five nights of closures between the intersection of SH1 and State Highway 46 at Rangipo, and the intersection of SH1 and State Highway 49 at Waiouru.

The road will be closed each night from 7pm until 5am, with the works complete and road re-opening fully from 5am on Sunday 6 December.

Outside work hours the road will operate as normal. Emergency services will have full access through the site during the works.

Detour information:

• From Turangi, the southbound detour will be via State Highway 41 or State Highway 46, on to State Highway 47, State Highway 4 at National Park and then State Highway 49 to Waiouru. The northbound detour will be in reverse.
• For a journey between Turangi and Waiouru the detour will add an extra 30 to 35 minutes over and above the normal 45-minute journey time via SH1 Turangi to Waiouru. The total travel time is approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Where the road closure will be in place from 7pm we would encourage motorists to complete their travel well before then as the contractors will be setting up traffic management from 6pm and this may cause delays.

From 7pm on Sunday 6 December resurfacing will take place just south of the State Highway 1/49 intersection at Waiouru and on the Desert Road between Waiouru and Rangipo. 

These works are expected to take place over four nights between 7pm and 5am, with Stop/Go traffic management and a temporary speed limit of 30km/h in place to ensure the safety of both crews and road users.

On Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 December the road between Taupō and Tūrangi will be closed between 7pm and 5am. On Friday 11 December the road will be open under Stop/Go traffic management with a 30km/h temporary speed limit in place. This will allow contractors to finish resurfacing at Te Poporo/Bulli Point and at Te Toki Point.

10 November media release: SH1 overnight closures between Taupo and Turangi next month for resurfacing works

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey this summer. Keep up to date with:

• Traffic updates: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic(external link)
• Facebook: facebook.com/nztacni(external link)
• Twitter: twitter.com/WakaKotahiCNI(external link)
• Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz(external link)
• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)