Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advises there will be road repairs on State Highway 1 north of Hikurangi for nearly three weeks this month that will include a full weekend road closure and a 10 – 20 minute detour.

The works on 300 metres of the highway about 1.5kms north of Hikurangi will start on Monday, 8 March and be completed by Thursday, 25 March, a week before the busy Easter weekend.

These permanent repairs will allow the removal of the 70 kph temporary speed limit and uneven surface signs. Some trees have been removed at this location, so work can now start on fixing the road and the guardrail to improve customer safety and driving experience through the area.

“It’s important that we complete this work before the winter weather sets in and without disrupting Easter holiday traffic and the benefits visitors bring to the Northland economy,” says Waka Kotahi Northland System Manager, Jacqui Hori-Hoult.

While road crews excavate and repair the road, traffic will be reduced to one lane under stop/go traffic control. A temporary speed limit of 30km/h will apply through the works areas, and some delays are expected.

“Our crews will monitor the queues and try to keep delays to a minimum. We thank our customers in advance for their patience and understanding while we complete this essential maintenance to make the road safer and more resilient.”

In order to complete the work safely and efficiently, there will be a full closure of the road between 8pm Friday, 19 March and 8pm Sunday, 21 March.

There will be a posted detour in place that will add 10-20 minutes to the journey. The detour route includes two single lane bridges so there may be delays at busy times.

“We encourage people heading north from Whangarei or south from Kawakawa to travel on SH15 as an alternative to help reduce the number of vehicles using the SH1 detour route. This is also the preferred route for freight movements.”

While the road is closed there will also be separate work to fix a section of uneven road surface just north of the construction area that will give customers a smoother journey through the area.

Jacqui Hori-Hoult says road repairs don’t usually require a full road closure, but in this case on SH1, there will be huge benefits in efficiently and safely progressing the work and reducing disruption for the travelling public.

“Closing the road to all traffic brings an immediate safety benefit as it removes the risk for our crews of working alongside live traffic on a busy road. Safety is always our top priority.”

“There are also huge efficiency gains in closing the road and working with day and night shifts. We can work across the full width of the road and have multiple crews working in different areas at the same time.”

“Throughout the road repairs, we urge people to be patient, plan their journeys, allow extra time and help keep our road crews safe. Safety is our priority – for all road users.”

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with:

• COVID-19 services update: nzta.govt.nz/COVID19
• Traffic updates: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic
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• Twitter: twitter.com/WakaKotahiAkNth
• Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz
• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)

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