Wellington road users need to be ready for a full weekend road closure on State Highway 58 late next month.
The closure for safety improvement works will happen between Friday, 28 April and Monday, 1 May, unless postponed by bad weather.
It means people travelling between the Hutt Valley and Porirua/Kāpiti must use State Highway 1 and State Highway 2 via Ngauranga instead.
There will be significantly more vehicles using these routes during the closure.
Waka Kotahi Regional Manager Maintenance and Operations, Mark Owen, says as a result, travel delays are expected on State Highways 1 and 2.
“People travelling between the Hutt Valley and Porirua or Kāpiti will need to allow extra time for the detour, but all drivers should be ready for heavier traffic and delays on the state highway network between Wellington and the Hutt Valley.”
“We encourage people to avoid journeys where possible during the weekend closure, use public transport, or allow extra time,” Mark Owen says.
The closure will allow work to be completed on the State Highway 58 Safety Improvements project between Moonshine Road and Mount Cecil Road.
Mr Owen says contractors are reconstructing a section of the highway as part of the safety improvement project to prepare the road for new median and side safety barriers.
“We realise this closure is inconvenient and frustrating for road users. However, closing the road means a lot more work can be completed more quickly. The alternative is to work over multiple nights and weekends using stop/go traffic management, creating greater disruption and even more inconvenience. It is also much safer for our workers to close the road,” Mr Owen says.
The Transmission Gully project team and our maintenance teams will also complete work on State Highway 58 during the weekend closure to make the most of the closure and minimise future disruptions for road users.
There will be local access to properties and businesses outside the works area from either end of State Highway 58. Residents inside the full closure work area, and emergency services, will have access as required.
The closure will run from 8:00 pm on Friday to 4:00 am on Monday.
Dry weather is required for the work to be completed successfully. If wet weather is forecast, the closure will be postponed to the weekend beginning Friday, 5 May or the weekend beginning Friday, 12 May.
Works Area and Detour Map:
