Crews will be resurfacing a stretch of State Highway 3 at Mt Messenger in Taranaki next month under a series of stop/go and full road closures.
Work will begin on Tuesday 2 April, and is expected to be complete by Friday 19 April. Most of the work will be completed at night to minimise disruption.
A full road closure will be in place from 7pm on Friday 5 April to 4am on Monday 8 April because of the narrow and winding nature of the stretch of road being resurfaced.
There is no viable detour during the closure period so the road will be reopened at the following times each day to ensure people have an opportunity to get to where they need to go:
Saturday 6 April/Sunday 7 April
Monday 8 April
Outside the full closure, the road will be OPEN under overnight (6pm-6am) stop/go from Tuesday 2 April – Thursday 4 April and between Monday 8 April – Friday 19 April.
The road will be open during the day with a temporary speed restriction in place.
The stop/go traffic management is expected to add delays of approximately 30 minutes to people’s journeys.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi System Manager for Manawatū-Whanganui and Taranaki Liesl Dawson says the decision to close the road wasn’t made lightly but a full closure on this occasion is necessary.
“We know this is a key route connecting Taranaki to the north, and as much work as possible will be carried out under stop/go traffic management. Unfortunately, due to the winding, narrow nature of some parts of the state highway, and the width of the machinery to complete the work, we need to close the state highway to safely carry out the work in these sections.”
“This closure will be disruptive for road users and we appreciate people’s support during this time, as they plan their journeys,” says Ms Dawson.
This work is highly weather dependent and NZTA advises all road users to regularly check the Journey Planner website for up to date, daily information.
