Road contractors across the Waikato and Bay of Plenty state highway network are working as hard as possible, whilst managing positive COVID-19 cases and a poor weather forecast for late-March.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and its contractors are completing an ambitious programme to improve safety and resilience of the network, however like many other workplaces, contractors are experiencing COVID-19 cases amongst their workforces, which may cause plans to change at short notice, says Cara Lauder, Waikato System Manager, Maintenance and Operations.
“Waka Kotahi takes seriously our responsibilities for the safety of our staff, contractors and members of the public. All worksites have comprehensive COVID-19 protocols and work plans in place for the various COVID-19 traffic light settings and Omicron phases, which are strictly adhered to.
Our contractors have also undertaken extensive planning to make sure essential maintenance can continue on Waikato and Bay of Plenty state highways so they remain safe. However, there may be some disruption to other planned works, especially with rain forecast for next week, which may present an additional challenge for our contractors, especially for sealing crews.
We thank people for their patience as we support our contractors to manage the health and safety of their workforces while continuing to ensure the state highway network remains safe for all those who use it,” says Ms Lauder.
Check the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner website before you travel for up-to-date information.
Journey Planner(external link)
Foam bitumen stabilisation work taking place at Hātepe Hill.
Bay of Plenty
Tauranga
- Takitimu North Link Stage One: Enabling works continue on Wairoa Road and Minden Road, with service relocations and tree felling taking place until mid-March. When tree felling is taking place on Minden Road stop/stop traffic management will be in place, with minor delays expected. More information(external link).
- SH2 Hewletts Road: As part of the Totara Street cycleway project, night works will take place from late April through to June 2022, from 8pm to 5am each night between Tasman Quay and Totara Street. Eastbound traffic will be reduced to one lane through the intersection. Minimal delays are expected. More information(external link).
- SH2 Bay Link: A small section of Girven Road (between Gloucester Road intersection and the Bayfair roundabout) has been reduced to one lane in each direction, to allow construction of the permanent road along the two central lanes of Girven Road. Asphalting works in the middle of Girven Road are currently scheduled to take place from Monday 21 March to Thursday 24 March (from approximately 7pm until 7am). Two lanes in each direction are expected to be restored overnight on Thursday 24 March. Minor delays are expected. More information(external link).
- SH29 Tauriko West: Investigation works to provide the information needed for next steps of the Tauriko West enabling works will be carried out from Monday 21 March through to the end of April 2022. Works will mostly take place overnight between 7pm and 6am, with generally one active work site at any time. It is expected that most works will be completed over one to two nights at each location. This will include topographical surveys, locating buried services, and geotechnical investigations to determine the ground conditions. The investigations will generate some noise due to the machinery and equipment used, and will involve the use of temporary lighting. Traffic management will include shoulder and lane closures. More information(external link).
Western Bay of Plenty
- SH2 Waihī to Ōmokoroa: Safety improvement works continue at four active sites: between Athenree Road and Tanners Point Road, Rea Road / Tetley Road intersection, Lund Road to Sargent Drive and Apata Station Road to Esdaile Road. Minor delays are expected.
Tetley Road is temporarily closed between SH2 and Rereatukahia Pā Road for approximately two months. Detour routes are available, and only add a couple of minutes to the overall travel time. Please follow detour signage. More information(external link).
Rotorua
- SH5 Tarukenga to Ngongotahā: Remaining road widening, further barrier installation, and landscaping are underway. These works are expected to be complete in March 2022. More information(external link).
- SH30A Amohau Road: Chipsealing continues on Sunday 20 March, with southbound (towards Rotorua Airport) closures from 7pm to 6am, for three nights. Detours will be in place, and minor delays are expected.
During the day there will be a 30km speed limit through this area, while the new seal beds in. More information(external link).
- SH30 Te Ngae Road, Basley Road to Ōwhata Road: Service location for SH30 Eastern Corridor Stage Two is underway. Traffic management will be in place. More information(external link).
- SH33 Te Ngae Junction to Paengaroa: Safety improvement upgrade work continues on the section north of Pareteiro - Sun Valley Curve passing lane. This includes widening the shoulders, installing a wide centreline and installing roadside safety barriers. More information(external link).
Eastern Bay of Plenty
- SH2 Waioeka River Bridge: Resealing of the Waioeka River Bridge will take place on Saturday 26 March. There will be 30-minute periods in the morning where traffic is held either side of the bridge to allow for sealing. During the afternoon the bridge will be under stop/go traffic management and a reduced speed limit.
- SH2 Waioeka Gorge: HPMV strengthening work on four bridges in the Waioeka Gorge continues, and is expected to be complete in May 2022. The bridges are Owhiritoa Stream Bridge, Omaukora Bridge, Gibson Bridge and Sandys Bridge. Bridge crossing restrictions apply to heavy freight vehicles.
Road rehabilitation works continue in the Waioeka Gorge, with a 400m section of road near the historic Tauranga Bridge under stop/stop traffic management and a temporary speed limit for three weeks until late-March. Between 6am and 6pm the road will be closed for up to 30 minutes at a time, with traffic lights used to control traffic.
- SH35 Raukokore River Bridge: Bridge repairs have taken place; the bridge is open to traffic with the ‘80% of Class 1’ weight restriction lifted for 50MAX and Heavy General Access Vehicles. Heavy vehicles remain restricted to the posted speed limit of 10km/h while crossing the bridge, and all other vehicles will be temporarily speed restricted to 30km/h until early April, while steel plates remain on the bridge deck to protect the repaired areas. More information(external link).
- SH35 Cape Runaway: Road rehabilitation works continue on a section of road between Ngarue Road and Taitua Road East. Works will take place between 6:30am and 6:30pm until late-March. At times temporary traffic lights will be utilised overnight, with 10-15 minute delays expected when these are active.
Asphalt and chipsealing activities will take place on SH35 between Opotiki and Cape Runaway during the week commencing Monday 21 March. Expect delays due to stop/stop or stop/go traffic management and temporary speed limits.
Waikato
East Waikato
- SH25 Coromandel: Chipsealing continues on SH25 between Whitianga and Waihi. Sealing will take place until late-March, with multiple sites being completed each day. Delays are to be expected.
Strengthening work on the Waiwawa River Bridge (SH25) in Coroglen continues, and is expected to be complete in the second half of 2022. More information(external link).
- SH27 Tahuna: Road maintenance will commence on SH27 between Pioneer Road and Paeroa-Tahuna Road on Monday 21 March, for up to five days. The road will be closed to through traffic between 7am and 5pm, during this time a light vehicle detour via Pioneer Road, Morrinsville-Tahuna Road and Paeroa-Tahuna Road will be in place, heavy vehicles will need to use SH26 to connect to either SH2 or SH1B.
- SH27 Mangawhero Stream Bridge: A detour is in place on SH27 until 14 April to allow for the completion of new stretches of road either side of the new bridge being built over the Mangawhero Stream. Traffic is being detoured along SH29, Hopkins Road and Hinuera Road, adding around 3.7 kilometres to a journey between Tirau and Matamata. More information(external link).
Central Waikato
- SH1 Hātepe Hill: Foam bitumen stabilisation work has been completed. Asphalt surfacing of the left-hand northbound lane will commence on Wednesday 23 March, for approximately three weeks. Stop/go traffic management or lane closures will be in place during this time. More information(external link).
West Waikato
- SH1 Cobham Drive: The Ring Road – Wairere Drive extension project continues, and is expected to be completed by mid-2022. More information(external link).
- SH1 Tamahere: Four nights of full road closure from Monday 21 to Thursday 24 March on SH1 between the SH1/SH26 and SH1/SH21 intersections to allow gantry signage installation to take place, as part of the Waikato Expressway project.
Day-time tree-felling will take place from Monday 28 to Wednesday 30 March on SH1 between the Southern Interchange and Newell Road, 9am-3pm. Dates and times will vary depending on bat monitoring results and weather. More information(external link).
- SH39 Mangaotama Stream Bridge: This bridge on SH39 remains restricted to heavy traffic, with detours in place. The best alternative route for freight is to use SH3 and SH1 through Hamilton and Te Awamutu. A tender has been awarded for the necessary repair work and we will share the details of this once they are confirmed. More information(external link).
- SH30 Kopaki: Work has commenced on the drop out between Kopaki Rd and Ohirea Rd, temporary traffic lights are in place to control traffic, along with a temporary speed restriction of 30 km/h.
North Waikato
- SH1 Ohinewai: Work continues to install roadside barriers and re-position streetlights. Lane restrictions and temporary speed limits are in place. Work is expected to be complete in April. More information(external link).
Taranaki
- SH3 Mt Messenger: Maintenance work will take place on SH3 Mt Messenger on Thursday 24 March. The road will be closed between 10am and 2pm; plan journeys around this closure as the only available detour route is via SH43.
For 24 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. Please take extra care through all work sites and allow extra time for your journey.
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.
Waka Kotahi thanks motorists for their patience while we complete this essential work to keep the state highways safe and resilient.
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