Highway roadworks around Whanganui region stop for Easter and Anzac weekend traffic

A section of SH4 will have a temporary speed limit between National Park and Manunui over Easter weekend. Photo / NZME

State highway roadworks will halt over the next two weekends to ease traffic congestion in Whanganui and surrounding areas.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) journey manager for Manawatū/Whanganui Mike Dickson confirmed there were no significant scheduled state highway closures over the Easter and Anzac long weekends.

Work would pause from midday Thursday until Tuesday morning to ensure the roads were clear for holiday traffic.

In some areas of road where work had recently been completed, or near work sites, there would be temporary traffic management.

“One such site is at Nukumaru on State Highway 3. During Easter weekend, there won’t be any work at this site, but there will be a temporary speed limit in place,” Dickson said.

Because of the traffic management, it was expected there may be heavier than usual traffic flows through Nukumaru.

The same Thursday to Tuesday work pause will be in place for the Anzac Day long weekend.

A section of SH4 from National Park to Manunui has been closed since Monday morning due to a sinkhole but reopened on Wednesday with a temporary speed limit.

The speed limit will be in place throughout the weekend.

Sealing work on SH54 Kimbolton Rd has been under way this week but should be completed with line markings by the weekend.

A significant amount of road works were completed in the Manawatū-Whanganui region over summer as part of NZTA’s summer renewal programme including SH1 near Bulls, Rata, Mangaweka and Levin, SH2 near Dannevirke, SH56 at Ōpiki and SH54 at Vinegar Hill.

“Crews have worked hard this summer renewals season and have completed a range of road rebuild, resealing and asphalt resurfacing works across the Manawatū-Whanganui region,” Dickson said.

“Road rebuilds are a key priority and they often involve removing the existing road surface and road layers and replacing them with new materials to improve the long term condition and quality of the road.”

NZTA said people should make use of the Easter and Anzac holiday weekends Journey Planner at journeys.nzta.govt.nz to plan ahead and avoid traffic delays.

Olivia Reid is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.