Contractors are working hard to Blitzen through road works before the holiday season. Photo / Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
Contractors are working hard to Blitzen through road works before the holiday season. Photo / Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
December will see lots of road works on state highways throughout the Waikato and Bay of Plenty, with Waka Kotahi saying contractors are looking to make sleigh while the sun shines before the Christmas break.
Contractors have been undertaking renewals since late September. However, recent wet weather has put a dampener on progress. With fine weather on the horizon, now is the time to Blitzen through work until the roads are cleared for the holiday season, says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
Regional manager of maintenance and operations, Rob Campbell, says with so much activity, it’s essential to know how to get around.
“With road closures planned for State Highway 1 Desert Road, SH2 at Pekatahi Bridge, and within Hamilton, it is important to plan ahead so you can continue to be a Prancer throughout the region.
“We have a substantial number of resealing and road rebuilds taking place. Traffic management, including temporary speed limits, will ensure everyone can get past the site and to their destination.
When driving past a worksite, please don’t be a Comet or a Dasher - slow and steady is best for your car and keeps our people safe.
“We acknowledge that disruption will be a constant over the next few weeks. The good news is that almost all road work sites will be shut down and cleared from the road by midday on Wednesday, December 22. This will ensure everyone travelling to see whānau and friends can get there safely and on time.
“Like Rudolph, the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner (www.journeys.govt.nz) is our shining light and will guide you on the best way forward. We wish everyone safe travels over the holiday period,” says Campbell.
Meanwhile, there will be overnight works and detours on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway leading up to the holidays, when the site will be returned to two lanes in each direction.
Overnight works and detours on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway are planned leading up to the holidays. Image / Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
Milling and filling southbound and asphalting works northbound will be done under closures, which will also see the temporary steel safety barriers moved out of the way for the Christmas-New Year holiday period.
The closures are:
● Southbound, 14 and 15 December between 7pm and 5am.
● Northbound, 18 - 20 December between 7pm and 5am.
From December 21, the Ngāruawāhia section will be back to two lanes in each direction, with a speed restriction of 70km/h through the work site.
The combined remedial and safety works will restart mid- to late January and continue throughout 2023.
When completed, the section will open with a 110km/h speed limit in line with neighbouring sections.
Since this project started in October, there have been programme delays due to wet weather and unplanned additional time required to complete pavement construction trials.
During the closure to shift the temporary barriers, the detour routes are as follows:
● Light vehicles, General Access and 50MAX: via the old state highway through Ngāruawāhia, between Gordonton Road and Horotiu interchanges. It will be clearly sign-posted and add about five minutes to journey times.
● HPMVs: via SH1B, including the local road detour at Telephone Road.
