While the elves may be working right up until midnight on Christmas Eve, works across the region’s roads will mostly have finished at midday today Friday 20 December, allowing road users an undisturbed run to their holiday destination.
However, just because there are no roadworks doesn’t mean there are no delays, says Sandra King, Bay of Plenty System Manager at NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).
“Holiday traffic will be busy at certain periods in the lead-up to Christmas and throughout the 2-week period the majority of New Zealanders have on holiday. To help with planning the best time to travel, NZTA has released the Summer Journeys traffic prediction tool.
Summer Journeys traffic prediction tool(external link)
“This tool indicates when key routes will be free-flowing, busy and at their heaviest. Along with the Journey Planner, which provides real time traffic updates, you can see when the best time is to travel and check there are no issues on the network causing delays.
We are experiencing some hot days and this is causing the road surfaces to bleed, this means you may see crews out on site laying chipseal along with a temporary speed limit to keep everyone safe.
Similar to previous years, the passing lanes on State Highway 2 (SH2), between Pōkeno and the State Highway 25 Mangatarata roundabout, will be closed during peak times. The eastbound passing lane is closed from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 December between 4am and 11pm. Westbound is closed from Friday 3 to Sunday 5 January between 4am and 11pm.
Those cruising down SH2 through the Karangahake Gorge will have more time to soak up the stunning scenery. The 600m section between Crown Hill Road and School Road has had its speed reduced temporarily from 80km/h to 50km/h, which remains in place until after Waitangi weekend. This section of the highway includes the entrance to the Karangahake Reserve, which is the starting point for many of the popular walks in the historic gorge.
“NZTA wishes everyone a safe and enjoyable Christmas. For a smooth and hassle-free trip, and to make sure you reach your destination, remember to check over your vehicle before leaving, drive safely and to the posted speed limit, and enjoy the journey. We want everyone to enjoy this time with their friends and whānau,” says Ms King.
This work forms part of the government’s $2.07 billion investment into road and drainage renewal and maintenance across 2024-27 via the State Highway Pothole Prevention fund.
Waikato and Bay of Plenty state highway works as at 20 December 2024 [PDF, 308 KB]
