Waikato and Bay of Plenty state highway works for October 2022

Sealing crews were met with damp conditions to mark the start of the Waikato and Bay of Plenty renewal season for 2022/23. 

While this has meant less work has been completed this week, seeing the first sites sealed is a major milestone, says Cara Lauder, Waikato System Manager at Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

“We’re underway with our resealing, and this means crews are starting to chip away at the large programme we are undertaking this summer. There is a particular focus on areas such as SH25 around the Coromandel, where we have over 60 lane kilometres of work to complete, most of this before Christmas.

“We know that things are going to get busy on the network, though crews will be spread out to minimise overall disruption on any route. Over the next fortnight more crews will start working on the roads, as asphalt and road rehabilitation programmes commence.

“This is in addition to safety improvement focused and large-scale construction projects, which will also be looking to make the most of the warmer, drier weather over summer. The best advice we can give is that everyone plans ahead by using the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner (journeys.nzta.govt.nz(external link)) which provides real-time updates,” says Ms Lauder.

Nationally, Waka Kotahi is undertaking a programme of over 2450 lane kilometres of road resealing and rebuilding, to be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2023. 

Bay of Plenty

Tauranga

• Takitimu North Link Stage One: A range of construction activities are taking place between Te Puna and Bethlehem. This includes stop/go traffic management in place at Wairoa Road and Minden Road, and a number of shoulder closures and temporary speed limits. More information.  
• SH2 Hewletts Road: As part of the Tauranga City Council Totara Street cycleway project, work at the intersection of SH2 Hewletts Road and Totara Street commences Monday 3 October, and will be completed by mid-November. Construction work includes signalising the existing slip lane and upgrading the island to provide a fully signalised crossing for shared path users. These works will take place between Tasman Quay and Totara Street each night between 8pm and 6am. Eastbound traffic along Hewletts Road will be reduced to one lane during this time. Minimal delays are expected. More information(external link). 
• SH2 Bay Link: There will be single lane closures on SH2/Maunganui Road between Concord Avenue and Exeter Street, and on the approaches to Bayfair roundabout, from approximately 5pm to 6am on Sunday 2 October to allow for concrete barriers to be poured around the retaining walls of the northern ramp of the Bayfair flyover. Between Monday 3 October and Thursday 6 October (from approximately 7pm to 6am each night, nights only), single lane closures approaching the Bayfair roundabout, and a partial closure of the Bayfair roundabout between Matapihi Road and Girven Road will be in place. These will also allow concrete barriers to be poured around the retaining walls of the northern ramp of the Bayfair flyover. Road users travelling from Matapihi Road towards Girven Road or Pāpāmoa/TEL, and from TEL/Pāpāmoa towards Girven Road, will need to follow a signposted detour via SH2/Maunganui Road northbound, the Golf Road roundabout and SH2/Maunganui Road southbound. This scheduled work is weather-dependent. If it is delayed due to weather or other unforeseen issues, it will be carried out during the next suitable shift. Drivers are reminded of the new layout at the Bayfair roundabout. More information. 
• SH29 Takitimu Drive Toll Road: A section of the Kopurererua Valley cycleway is temporarily closed while services are relocated alongside SH29 Takitimu Drive Toll Road. There is an alternate track parallel to the closed section and signposted for track users. This work is expected to be completed in October.  From early to mid-October a reduced speed limit of 50km/h will be in place while contractor crews install barriers. This is expected to take place over two days. More information.  
• SH36 Pyes Pa: The Tauranga City Council watermain and wastewater pipe installations have progressed ahead of schedule. Traffic diversions have now been removed; shoulder closures remain in place while works continue outside the carriageway. 
• SH2 Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road (TELTR): For the Tauranga City Council led Pāpāmoa East Interchange project, traffic on the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road just north of the Kaituna River Bridge is now back to three lanes. Both eastbound lanes and one westbound lane are now open and the temporary speed through the worksite is 70km/h. This layout will remain in place until April 2023. More information(external link). 

Western Bay of Plenty

• SH2 Waihī to Ōmokoroa: Safety improvement works continue at five active sites: between Athenree Road and Tanners Point Road, Tanners Point Road to Tuapiro Road, Rea Road / Tetley Road intersection, Morton Road intersection and Apata Station Road to Esdaile Road. Minor delays are expected. More information. Chipsealing commences near Athenree on Sunday 16 October. Work will take place at night, between the hours of 7pm and 6am, Sunday to Thursday nights. When works are taking place stop/go traffic management and a reduced speed limit will be in place. The majority of this work is expected to be complete by late-November. 
• SH2 Athenree to Pahoia: Road surface repairs will take place in multiple locations. Work will be undertaken between 7pm and 6am each night, from Sunday 2 to Thursday 6 October. Stop/go traffic management and a temporary speed limit will be in place. 
• SH2 Te Puna: SH2 will be closed between the SH2/Te Puna Road/Minden Road and SH2/Clarke Road intersections on both Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 October, between the hours of 5am and 4pm each day, to allow tree removal to take place. A detour via Te Puna Road and Te Puna Station Road will be in place. Delays are expected. More information. 

Rotorua 

• SH30 Eastern Corridor Stage Two: Multiple worksites are active between Iles Road and Puketāwhero Park to excavate the shared service trench for the relocation of underground services and installation of the new watermain. Temporary traffic management will be in place with no left turn lane out of Basley Road to SH30/Te Ngae Road, and no left turn from SH30/Te Ngae Road westbound lane into Tennyson Drive, minor delays are expected. The upgraded footpath on the lakeside between Iles Road to Tennyson Drive, heading east on SH30/Te Ngae Road, is now open. A temporary signalised pedestrian crossing on SH30/Te Ngae Road at the city end of Puketāwhero Park has also been installed. Works continue in the area and pedestrians are asked to take care.  More information. 
• SH30/SH33 Te Ngae Junction: Starting 5pm Sunday 9 October to Friday 14 October, the contractor will be working 24 hours to first remove and then replace the existing road surface. During the day two lanes of traffic will remain open, with a reduced speed limit of 30km/h through the site. During the night stop/go will be in place. This work is weather dependent. The works may cause minor traffic delays and people are asked to take extra care while traveling through the site. More information. 
• SH33 Te Ngae Junction to Paengaroa: Safety improvement upgrade work continues near Pareteiro - Sun Valley Curves passing lane. During the day and when the crew are on site, either two lanes will be open or stop/go will be in place – depending on the works. A temporary speed limit of 30km/h applies. Outside of work hours and when the site is unattended, the worksite will have a shoulder closure and a temporary speed limit of 50km/h. There are also ongoing shared path works between Mourea Bridge and Ōkere Falls. Traffic management will be a combination of shoulder closures and stop/go as required to carry out the works safely. Allow extra time. More information(external link). 

Eastern Bay of Plenty

• SH35 Motu River: 24/7 single lane access has been reinstated, with traffic signal control in place, along with a 30km/h temporary speed limit. There will be periods where traffic is stopped at each end to allow works to take place across the full road width. Works will continue until early-October. More information. 
• SH35 Chipseal: Chipsealing commences near Whangaparāoa on Monday 3 October. Work will take place during the day, between the hours of 7am and 7pm, Monday to Friday. When works are taking place stop/go traffic management and a reduced speed limit will be in place. The majority of this work is expected to be complete by early-November. 
• SH30 Awakeri to Whakatāne: Pavement and utility site investigation work along SH30 between the SH2/SH30 and Shaw Road/SH30 intersections commences Wednesday 5 October, and will take two weeks to complete. Works will be undertaken across a number of sites, at night or during the day (depending on the specific task), under stop/go traffic management and a temporary speed limit. 
• SH30 Whakatāne: Resurfacing work between SH2/Gateway Drive/Phoenix Drive and Whakatāne Landing Bridge commences Sunday 2 October, taking up to three weeks to complete. Stop/go traffic management and a temporary speed limit will be in place between 6pm and 6am Sunday to Thursday; during this time Coastlands residents will have a signposted single direction detour. Temporary speed limits will remain in place during the day when there are uneven surfaces. 
• SH2 Waimana Gorge: Road rehabilitation commences Monday 3 October just south of Fraser Road. Stop/go traffic management and a temporary speed limit will be in place until late-October. 
• SH2 Wainui Road to Ōpōtiki: Service relocation work between Pohutukawa Drive and Paerata Ridge Road continues. Stop/go traffic management will be in place during the day when this work is taking place. This work is expected to be complete by the end of the month. More information. 
• SH2 Waioeka Gorge: A section of the Waioeka River is in close proximity to the road edge. A shoulder closure is in place, and remedial works have commenced. 

Tairāwhiti Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay

• SH35 Kopuaroa: The site remains under stop/go traffic management and a temporary speed limit of 30km/h at all times. Main improvement works to realign the highway onto more stable ground are underway. Delays are to be expected. More information. 
• SH35 Chipsealing: Chipsealing will take place between Ruatoria and Pōtaka from Tuesday 11 October until Tuesday 25 October. Work will take place during the day, between the hours of 7am and 7pm, Monday to Friday. When work is taking place road closures will be in place, expect delays. 
• SH2 Esk River Bridge: The bridge over the Esk River on SH2, north of Napier, has been reduced to a 30km/h temporary speed limit due to recent assessments identifying the bridge does not have capacity for sustained increased travel demands. Overweight vehicles are required to reduce their speed to 10km/h within their own lane, or to follow the restriction on their permit if it is lower. More information. 

Manawatū-Whanganui

• SH4 Auraki Stream Road Retreat: Work to retreat the road away from a slip adjacent to the Mangawhero River is currently underway and will continue into 2023. For the duration of the works the road is reduced to one lane with traffic control operating under traffic signals. Works are generally undertaken away from the road, however there are occasions where traffic signals are used to keep drivers safe from hazards, with delays of up to 10 minutes.  
• SH4 Te Oreore slip: Following a slip in 2019, a temporary road is in place at Te Oreore, with a 30km/h temporary speed limit in place.  
• SH4 Upokongaro to Raetihi: Crews continue to clear material from numerous slip sites. Traffic is generally reduced down to one lane past these slip sites during working hours. At sites 150m north of Burrell Road and 3km north of Burrell Road, SH4 is reduced down to one lane due to underslips with priority give way and 30km/h speed limits in place. At Aberfeldy, 1km north of Parihauhau Road, speed is reduced to 50km/h due to an underslip compromising the edge line of the northbound lane. 

Waikato

East Waikato

• SH25 Coromandel: The Coromandel state highway chipseal programme continues, and crews will be on the network until late November. Expect delays due to multiple sites under stop/go traffic management, one-way detours and/or temporary speed limits. 
• SH25 Hikaui Bridge: From Tuesday 25 October the bridge will be closed to all traffic from 8pm to 6am, Sunday to Thursday, for an expected period of up to four weeks. This closure is necessary while essential and significant maintenance work is completed. During this time the bridge will be open to traffic during the day with temporary traffic management and a speed restriction of 10km/h in place. More information. 
• SH27 Matamata: Resurfacing work on SH27 Firth Street at the intersection with Tainui Street and Farmers Road commences Sunday 2 October. Between the hours of 7pm and 6am the road will be fully closed, and a southbound closure will remain in place during the day. A detour will be in place via Burwood Road and SH24. Work is expected to take one week to complete. The detour is suitable for all types of vehicles including High Productivity Motor Vehicles. 
• SH2 Karangahake Gorge: Road resurfacing will be undertaken from Sunday 9 October for two weeks, between 8pm and 5am each night. Stop/go traffic management and a temporary speed limit will be in place on Sunday 9 and Sunday 16 October, and the road will be closed each night from Monday 10 to Thursday 13 October and Monday 17 to Thursday 20 October. Plan ahead, as the detour route via SH27/SH24/SH29, adding more than two hours to travel time. More information. 
• SH25 Whenuakite: Road rehabilitation commences Monday 3 October just south of Boat Harbour Road. Stop/stop traffic management and a temporary speed limit will be in place until mid-October. 

Central Waikato

• SH1 Lichfield: Foam bitumen stabilisation will commence mid-October just south of Baldwin Road, with construction expected to take three weeks. Traffic management will be in place along with a temporary speed limit. Delays are expected. 
• SH1 Ātiamuri: Safety improvements on a 4.5km stretch of SH1 between Maroa Road and Tram Road, south of Ātiamuri, are continuing. A 50km/h temporary speed limit is in place through the site and stop/go traffic management with a 30km/h temporary speed limit may also be used at times between 9am and 3pm Monday to Friday. More information. 
• SH1 Desert Road: The road is down a single lane near Tree Trunk Gorge Road, due to washouts. Temporary traffic signals are in place along with a temporary speed limit; road users are reminded to comply with the traffic management on site. Once repair work is underway, daytime road closures are going to be required. 

West Waikato

• SH1B Puketaha: SH1B east of Hamilton is closed at the southern end of Telephone Road while options for its long-term future are investigated. Detour via Holland Road, Waverley Road and Seddon Road. More information. 
• SH1 Waikato Expressway - Ngāruawāhia Section: Night-time closures will be in place between the Taupiri and Horotiu interchanges to undertake pavement repair work. The closures will take place from mid-October for 10 nights (excluding Friday and Saturday nights) for both directions of travel. The detour for light vehicles will be via Great South Road, over-weight and over-dimension loads will need to use SH1B. Following these closures we will use a combination of lane closures, contraflow and additional night-time closures to complete the remainder of the work. 
• SH21 Tamahere Interchange: Work has commenced on safety improvements under the interchange. The SH21/Tamahere Drive roundabout is closed between 8pm and 5am, Sunday to Thursday nights until Thursday 6 October. Stage one of the improvement work is expected to be complete in early-2023. More information. 
• SH3 Te Awamutu: Resurfacing of SH3 Sloane Street, between Vaile Street and Fraser Street, will commence Sunday 9 October. Between 6pm and 6am the road will be closed, with a detour via Golf Road and Cambridge Road. Work is expected to take three nights to complete. 
• SH39 Te Kowhai: Chipsealing takes place between Burbush and Te Kowhai next week. Stop/go traffic management and temporary speed limits will be in place. 
• SH23/39 Whatawhata: Minor pavement excavation works as part of a future safety improvement project will take place at the intersection of SH23 and SH39 in Whatawhata on Sunday 2 October and Monday 3 October. Work will be carried out between 7pm and 3am each night and involves excavating small pavement pits to collect soil samples from underneath the road. 
• SH3 Te Kūiti: Work is taking place to make the entrance to Te Tokanganui-a-Noho marae safer for pedestrians to cross SH3 Awakino Road. At times traffic heading east on SH30 will need to detour north along Carroll Street, cross the railway line on Ward Street and then head south on Rora St. The same detour will apply in reverse for westbound traffic. The project is expected to be complete by early-October. More information. 
• SH30 Kōpaki: A localised drop out between Kōpaki Road and Ohirea Road means temporary traffic signals are in place to control traffic, along with a temporary speed restriction of 30 km/h. Repairs are complete at a slump near Kōpaki Bridge; however, this site remains under a temporary speed restriction. Truck drivers are reminded that the existing Kōpaki rail overbridge has a maximum weight limit of 6 tonnes. If compliance with the load restriction doesn’t greatly improve, the potential risk to both road and rail users will force us to close the road to all traffic. The detour route between Maniaiti/Benneydale and Te Kuiti is via Kōpaki Road and SH4. 
• SH4 Taumarunui: Following storm damage, a section of road north of Taumarunui, between the State Highway 43 intersection and Okahukura Bridge Road is under stop/go traffic management, controlled by traffic signals. Enabling works have commenced, and plans for the long-term repair of this road are currently being designed.  

North Waikato

• SH1 Hampton Downs: This section of the expressway will be without lighting until November, while work continues on upgrading the state highway. Traffic is reduced to one lane in each direction as safety improvements are made to the road, bringing it up to 110km/h design and safety standards. People are asked to take care when driving through the site by following the posted speed limit of 70km/h. More information. 
• SH2 Waitakaruru: Due to resurfacing activities there will be stop/go traffic management between Heaven Road and Steen Road on Tuesday 4 October, between 9pm and 5am.  

Taranaki

• SH3 Piopio: A slip has the road down to one lane between Mangarongo and Paekaka Roads, which is being controlled by traffic signals. Delays of 5-10 minutes are expected. More information. 
• SH3 Te Ara o Te Ata: Mt Messenger Bypass: Stop/go controls are operating daily, with delays of up to 15 minutes expected. The lane closure allows for Bypass enabling works. More information. 
• SH3 Awakino: A slip south of Awakau Road has the road down to one lane controlled by traffic signals and a 30km/h temporary speed limit. There are various other slips in the gorge that are currently not affecting traffic, however drivers are asked to drive with caution, and expect delays at the single lane section. 
• SH3 Waitara: Northbound light vehicle traffic is being detoured via Waitara to enable stormwater works to be carried out for Te Ara Tūtohu Waitara to Bell Block safety improvements. Heavy vehicles and all southbound vehicles continue to use SH3 under stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h speed limit. Delays of between 5-10 minutes can be expected. Sealing work is being completed next week, before the detour is lifted, with stop/go remaining on SH3. More information. For up to 48 hours following completion of chipseal sites, a 50km/h temporary speed limit will be in place until the road is swept and line marking reinstated. 

The above information is accurate at the time of release. Many of the above works are dependent on a number of factors, particularly weather, and may be postponed at short notice. 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 while we complete this essential work to keep the state highway network safe, accessible and resilient.