Resurfacing work is planned for up to two weeks on State Highway 29 over the Kaimai Range. This follows similar work undertaken on a number of sections of State Highway 29 and State Highway 24 on the western side of the Kaimai Range late last year and earlier this year.
Update 11 February 2022
Due to the poor weather forecast, the full road closures that were planned for Sunday 13 and Monday 14 February between 8pm and 5am will not proceed. State Highway 29 over the Kaimia Range will remian open on these nights. A further update will be provided on Monday (14 February) for the work taking place throughout the remainder of the week.
Beginning at 8pm on Sunday 13 February 2022, work will take place over five consecutive nights. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency contractors will then return the following week, with the exact number of work nights required dependent on weather and progress throughout the first week.
Recent works on SH29 have seen the successful implementation of full road and one-way closures, with specific windows for travel in each direction between Waikato and the Bay of Plenty. These will be in place again to allow contractors sufficient space to work safely and efficiently.
Waikato System Manager Cara Lauder says this completes a significant summer of work on the Kaimai Range, and the implementation of a new way to manage traffic ensures all road users, particularly trucks, can more effectively plan their journey across the Kaimai Range.
“Completing the resurfacing with one or no lanes operating allows contractors to work safely and with increased productivity. This reduces the overall time on site, leading to fewer days with the road under traffic management throughout the summer. Working this way has allowed us to resurface three significant sections of the road, ensuring the safety and resilience of this key route between the Waikato and Tauranga.”
On both Sunday 13 February and Monday 14 February 2022 the road will be closed to traffic from both directions between 8pm and 5am. Following this, there will be two three and a half hour windows each night to allow for traffic to pass through in one direction only.
The timetable for these nights is as follows:
A full timetable of the works can be viewed on the Waikato roadworks page: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/waikato/roadworks(external link)
During these times vehicles will be held at the intersections with SH24 and SH28 at Te Poi on the Waikato side, and the intersection of SH29 and Cambridge Road on the Bay of Plenty side.
Resident access will be maintained at all times during the works, however, residents will need to liaise with the traffic control teams on site.
Waka Kotahi has opted for one long window for traffic in each direction rather than more frequent, but shorter, windows, to avoid lengthy queues of vehicles waiting for their turn to cross the Kaimai Range. By having a longer window, drivers, especially those in trucks, can plan their journey with greater certainty.
During the day the road will reopen to two lanes and there will be reduced speeds through areas that have been recently resealed.
The detours for this closure are significant. Road users are encouraged to visit the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner website (journeys.nzta.govt.nz(external link)) for up-to-date information on all routes to and from Tauranga.
Those planning to use the eastbound or westbound travel windows during the closures are advised to allow extra time for their journey.
Waka Kotahi thanks motorists for their patience while we carry out these important works to improve the safety and resilience of the state highway network.
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