State Highway 1 (SH1) between Wairakei Roundabout to Broadlands Interchange, Taupō, will be closed from 5am Monday 11 November to Friday 6 December 2024.
All north and south bound vehicles will be detoured 24/7.
This work includes 2.5km of road reconstruction, some road widening, adjusting wire rope barriers, cleaning the shoulders, repairing signs and adding in new line marking.
There are a number of large events planned in November and December in Taupō, including the Taupō Cycle Challenge, and Ironman 70.3 World Championship. Changing the sequence of our work on SH1 means we avoid causing considerable disruption to competitors and spectators involved in and travelling to these events.
We had originally planned on a second SH1 closure between Ātiamuri to Wairakei to happen before this Christmas, but the work on that section will now take place in spring 2025. As a result we can fit in the work on the East Taupō arterial section of SH1 before Christmas.
We will also be able to finish the East Taupō Arterial section sooner, weather depending. The new plan should allow this work to be completed quicker than it would have otherwise. Once completed, we would only need to come back for the final sealing which will be done at nights. This will avoid the need for additional full closures later the in the project.
We’ve worked closely with Taupō District Council (TDC) to understand the best timing for closing the various sections and believe together we have come up with a solution that is best for the wider Taupō community. TDC are able to incorporate road works they need to do into our closure, and they have helped to shape our traffic management to minimise disruption as much as possible.
The detour route for all vehicles is: Southbound traffic on SH1 will turn left onto SH5, right onto Ohaaki Road, right onto Broadlands Road, and left back onto SH1. Northbound traffic will follow the same detour in reverse. The detour adds an extra 45.5 km and approx. 32 min to journeys.
