Auckland’s state highways are getting a makeover for Christmas.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi advises key maintenance and improvement works will get underway on State Highway 1 Central Motorway Junction and the Auckland Harbour Bridge from Thursday 26 December. There will also be work on State Highway 16 in the Port area getting underway early in the new year.

Regional Manager Maintenance and Operations, Jacqui Hori-Hoult, says while most state highway works stop before busy holiday travel periods like Christmas and New Year to minimise disruption to people’s journeys, fewer people on the roads in the central city makes the holiday period an ideal time to undertake critical maintenance on some of Auckland’s busiest state highways.

“Traffic volumes are at their lowest at this time of year, giving our teams the best opportunity to carry out this work.

“We will be working hard to keep disruption to a minimum. However, you may experience delays and we ask that you plan your journey.

“If you're travelling through Auckland and want to bypass the maintenance work being carried out on SH1 on the Auckland Harbour Bridge and city centre we recommend taking the Western Ring Route. The route carries traffic between SH1 Constellation Drive and SH1 Manukau using SH18, SH16 and SH20.”

Ms Hori-Hoult asks those travelling over this period to be kind to our people working on the road and bridge, spending their time away from their whānau over the holidays, by travelling to the posted speed limits and being patient.

“We care about our team and believe everyone should be able to return home safely to their whānau at the end of the day.

“Reduce your speed, adhere to the temporary speed limits and follow the traffic management directions at our work sites.”

• SH1/SH16 Central Motorway (Spaghetti) Junction 9pm 26 December – 5am 6 January: replacement of a bridge joint on southbound lanes between the Symonds Street and Grafton Road overbridges.

There will be a combination of lane reductions during the day and full closures overnight on SH1. Ramp and link closures will be in place and signposted detours will be available.

Symonds Street southbound on-ramp and SH16 eastbound to SH1 southbound link will be closed for the duration of the works.

Delays are expected and people are encouraged to use the Western Ring Route and SH20 where possible to avoid congestion.

• SH1 Auckland Harbour Bridge 2am 26 December – 5am 6 January: resurfacing of southbound clip-on lanes (lanes 1 & 2), followed by bridge maintenance work under the northbound clip-on lanes (lanes 1 & 2).

The Auckland Harbour Bridge requires special surfacing material, which takes longer to cure. We use the Christmas/New Year period for resurfacing, when traffic volumes are lower.

There will be lane restrictions 24/7 but traffic will still be able to travel in both directions at all times.

Recoating of the overarch section of the bridge is taking place from 24 November 2024 and 27 March 2025. This work will be carried out in night shifts (7pm – 4am).

Delays are expecte and motorists are encouraged to use SH16 & SH18 Western Ring Route where possible to avoid congestion.

• SH16 Port area January – April 2025

There are several improvement projects to complete in the Port area next year. We appreciate this will be disruptive for the for the community and motorists. To minimise the disruption, we will be carrying these out together, reducing the need for additional closures throughout the year.

To carry out this work safely we will be putting in full lane closures during the weekend and lane restrictions on weeknights. Our team will be working to complete these projects as quickly as possible. Detours will be in place for motorists but access to businesses and residents along SH16 may be affected.

For the full schedule please visit https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/auckland-system-management/summer-works/

Some works are weather dependent, and people are advised to check the NZTA Journey Planner website (journeys.nzta.govt.nz) for up-to-date information on road works, traffic, delays and disruption.

NZTA thanks everyone for their patience while we undertake these important works to improve the safety and efficiency of Auckland’s state highway network.

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