Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is giving Taranaki motorists an early heads up on some key pieces of work scheduled for early in the new year.
While there will be some work undertaken at sites not mentioned below, Waka Kotahi is keen to provide advance notice of some of the more disruptive works.
Major infrastructure works to make SH4 safer between Waitara and Bell Block will get underway early in the new year
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency contractors will begin installing stormwater infrastructure to support a new roundabout and underpass at the SH4/Princess Street intersection that will be built later in the year.
Northbound light vehicles will be detoured through Waitara while the work is underway.
Crews will complete urgent repairs in Hawera on South Road between Denby and Disraeli Roads in preparation for resealing later in the season. The work is scheduled to take 2-3 weeks and will be run under Stop/Go traffic management with delays of up to 10-15 minutes at a time. Alternative routes through Hawera are also available.
Road repairs will be undertaken on two sites just south of Eltham. Contractors will combine and operate the two sites concurrently to reduce the overall construction period.
To ensure the safety of both road users and our crews, and to reduce traffic delays and queues, we will only allow northbound traffic to use SH4 during this time.
Southbound traffic will be detoured from SH4 via old Mountain Road, Ketemarae Road, and Wallscourt Place, returning to SH4 at the Egmont Street intersection in Normanby.
The detour for southbound traffic will add an additional 5–10 minutes to the journey between Eltham and Normanby. This approach is more efficient in comparison to the traditional Stop/Go traffic management, which would cause delays of 20–30 minutes each way. By reducing the volume of traffic travelling through the worksite, it is also safer for road users and our crews.
Crews will complete a large number pre-reseal repairsin the Awakino Gorge, starting north of the Awakino Tunnel bypass and moving south. The work will be completed in two 4–5km long sites. Each site will be run using Stop/Go with delays of 20–30 minutes at a time. The work has been designed in a way that enables crews to complete the work as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Some of the above works are weather dependent and may be postponed in the case of poor weather. For up-to-date information on road works, traffic, detours and delays, motorists are encouraged to visit the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner website (journeys.nzta.govt.nz(external link)).
Waka Kotahi thanks motorists for their patience.
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