Over the past two weekends on State Highway 1 near Cambridge, helicopters truly had the power, pulling transmission wires across SH1 as part of work on the National Grid.

This meant the road had to be closed to keep everyone safe. It was a strange sight, seeing a normally very busy SH1 without any traffic.

“NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) thanks drivers, residents and businesses for their patience while this crucial National Grid work took place,” said an NZTA spokesperson.

“If you’re heading away these school holidays, or just getting from A to B, plan ahead and check where the disruptive works are going to be.”

People are encouraged to use the NZTA Journey Planner journeys.nzta.govt.nz.

“This [journey planner] is kept up to date in real time so you can see all disruptive activity and potential hazards on the state highway network before you leave.”

Bay of Plenty

Tauranga

· SH2 Takitimu North Link Stage 1: Shoulder closures and stop/go traffic management on Minden Rd continue until mid-December while utility works are completed and earthworks get under way.

· SH2/Fifteenth Ave: Major works to build the connection from Fifteenth Ave to SH29/Takitimu Drive Toll Road are under way. Works involve the building of a 120m large retaining wall and earthworks, prior to the Fifteenth Ave bridge construction. One lane at SH2/Fifteenth Ave near Edgcumbe Rd will be closed while this work takes place. This is likely to remain in place until mid-2026. Local residents and those passing through this area should be prepared for disruption over the construction season; there will be delays and changes to the road layout as we complete this work.

· SH29 Takitimu Drive Toll Rd: A reduced speed limit of 70km/h is in place while Takitimu North Link Stage 1 crews are working behind the barriers. More information.

· Cambridge/Moffat roads: Stop/go on Cambridge Rd continues over the next week to complete the final footpath, kerbing, and island installation work. Traffic management will be in place from 9am to 3pm. A section of Cambridge Road East from Moffat Rd to St Andrews roundabout remains closed while the new intersection joining onto Moffat Rd is constructed, this work is nearing completion. Detours and temporary speed limits are in place for the closed section of Cambridge Rd East. More Information.

· SH2 Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Rd (TELTR): The Tauranga City Council led project continues. A 2km section of SH2, just past the Kaituna River bridge continues to be reduced to a single lane in each direction to allow construction of the Pāpāmoa East interchange to progress. This closure will remain in place for the duration of construction, with a temporary 70km/h speed limit in place. More information.

· SH2 TELTR: The Quayside Properties Ltd-led Rangiuru Business Park Interchange project continues. Temporary barriers remain in place until the first week of November 2024, with one lane available in either direction. A temporary speed limit of 70km/h applies through the site. More information.

· Mount Maunganui: From Sunday, September 29 to Sunday, October 13, 24/7 including weekends, there will be a one-way lane closure on Oceanbeach Rd between Concord Ave and Golf Rd. All traffic heading towards Mauao will be detoured via Girven Rd, Maunganui Rd, and Golf Rd to get back onto Oceanbeach Rd. Oceanbeach Rd will still be open on this section of road for traffic heading towards Pāpāmoa. Access to Concord Ave will be as normal. To find out more, visit letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/oceanbeachroadresurfacing

Western Bay of Plenty

· SH2 Ōmokoroa Rd: Road widening and service relocation works are underway in preparation for the new roundabout. Lane shifts are in place along with speed restrictions. There will be intermittent stop/go traffic management in place which may cause longer delays. Follow the temporary signs and directions of the traffic management team and watch for layout changes. Expect minor delays especially during peak times. More information.

· SH2 / Youngson Rd, near Ōmokoroa: As part of the Western Bay of Plenty District Council led Ōmokoroa Roundabout project, from Wednesday, September 25 through to Saturday October 26 access to Youngson Rd from SH2 will be closed. This is to enable contractors to install critical services such as power and fibre. A detour is available via Old Highway joining SH2 at Barrett Rd.

· SH2 Apata Station Rd: Road widening works are under way in preparation for the new roundabout. Lane shifts are in place along with speed restrictions. There will be intermittent stop/go traffic management in place which may cause longer delays. Follow the temporary signs and directions of the traffic management team and watch for layout changes. Expect minor delays.

· SH29 Tauriko/Redwood Lane: Construction continues on multiple work sites on SH29 with shoulder closures and mobile operations in place. People are asked to drive and cycle with extra care on SH29, particularly between Redwood Lane and Belk Road and between Gargan Rd and Cambridge Rd, and adhere to the reduced speed limits. Through the Tauriko Village/Cambridge Rd section people can expect to see site establishment works including vegetation clearing, building removal (including Tauranga City Council’s work to remove the Settlers Hall, surveying and ecology works taking place, with shoulder closures and intermittent mobile traffic operations. More information.

· SH2 Pongakawa: Road rehabilitation continues on SH2 near Pongakawa School Rd. This work is expected to be completed in mid-October, with contractors on site from 6am to 6pm Monday to Saturday with stop/go traffic management in place, delays are to be expected.

· SH2 Ōtamarākau: Road rehabilitation continues on SH2 near Ōtamarākau Valley Rd. This work is expected to take six weeks, with completion expected mid-October. Crews are on site from 6am to 6pm Monday to Saturday with stop/go traffic management in place, delays are to be expected.

· SH33 near Allport Rd, north of Rotorua: Resurfacing work starts on SH33 Monday, September 30 and will take five days, between 6am and 6pm. While this work is under way a stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h temporary speed limit will be in place. Minor delays are to be expected.

Rotorua

· SH30 Eastern Corridor Stage Two: Construction continues on SH30 between Tumene Drive and Ōwhata roundabout. Night works on SH30 Te Ngae Rd are scheduled for the new seal and line marking on Monday 30 September and Tuesday, October 1, weather dependent. Detours for these works will be in place via Vaughan Rd/Ōwhata Rd. A temporary speed limit of 50km/h remains in place between Tumene Drive and the Ōwhata roundabout until resurfacing is completed.

· SH30 Rotorua: A full road closure of SH30 Sala St is needed for road rebuild works, starting Monday, September 30, between 8am and 4pm Monday to Friday, for two weeks. The road closure will be in place between Scott St and McIntyre Ave, with temporary traffic management in place, allowing resident access only. During the closure, vehicles will be detoured westbound via SH30A Te Ngae Rd, Amohau St to Pukuatua St, left into SH5 Old Taupō Rd and left on to SH30 Hemo Rd, and in reverse for eastbound.

· SH30/30A Rotorua: On Saturday, September 28 and Sunday, September 29 at Puketāwhero Park, SH30 Te Ngae Rd, a rugby league tournament will take place from 8am to 5pm each day. There will be traffic management in place, people should be aware of more traffic and pedestrians in the area.

· SH36 Mangorewa Gorge: Work is progressing well between Mangorewa Gorge and Hamurana. Stop/go traffic lights remain in place 24/7 with one lane closed from the Mangorewa track to just south of the worksite. This work is due to be completed by Friday, October 4. More information

Eastern Bay of Plenty

· SH34 Kawerau: Road rebuild work has begun at Onepū near Kawerau, expected to take five weeks and completed late October, weather permitting. SH34 will be closed between Charteris Lane and the SH30 intersection between 8am and 4pm each day. There will be a detour in place via SH34 for all vehicles.

· SH2 Pekatahi Bridge: The Pekatahi Bridge will be closed for scheduled maintenance for up to five days during school holidays, from Monday, September 30 to midday Friday, October 4, with work to take place on Friday, October 4 in the afternoon if required. Contractors will be repairing and replacing damaged decking planks and undertaking general maintenance. The daytime bridge closure will be between 8.30am and 4.30pm each day. The northbound detour for all vehicles is via Tāneatua Rd, Arawa Rd, Hinemoa St and onto SH30 towards Awakeri, southbound traffic will use the same route in reverse.

· SH38 Rangitaiki Bridge: Work has started on bridge repairs near Murupara and are expected to take up to three months to complete. At times during the work there will be short periods of stop/stop traffic management in place and a temporary speed limit of 30km/h.

· SH2 Waioeka Rd, near Ōpōtiki: A road rebuild has started on SH2 between Warrington Rd and Clark Ross Rd, this work is expected to be completed late October. On weekdays between 7.30am and 4.30pm there will be four-way stop/go traffic management in place at the SH2 Matchitt Rd and Apanui Rd intersection.

· SH2 Waioeka Gorge: Strengthening repairs continue on the Manganuku Bridge. The repairs, which include steel works, pad repairs and water blasting will take approximately three months with completion at the end of October. While the work is underway a temporary speed limit of 30km/h will be in place throughout the work site.

Tairāwhiti Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay

· SH5 Napier to Taupō: Recovery alliance Transport Rebuild East Coast (TREC) continues to progress safety improvements, as well as repair, recovery and maintenance activities at multiple sites on SH5 between Eskdale and Waipunga. More information.

Waikato

SH1 Tīrau to Waiouru

· Tīrau to Putāruru: Full closure until Friday, October 4, from the roundabout just south of Tīrau (SH1/SH5) to the intersection of SH28 with SH1 just north of Putāruru. The detour is via SH28 and SH5. Both Tīrau and Putāruru townships will not be affected by these closures, these are still fully open for business as usual.

· Ātiamuri to Wairakei: Daytime closures until Friday 16 September from Ātiamuri (SH1/30 intersection) to Wairakei (SH1/SH5 intersection). Currently closed during the day Monday to Saturday, between 8am and 6pm. The road will re-open at nights from 6pm - 8am and on Sundays. Detours for light vehicles (i.e. all vehicles you can drive on a class 1 licence) is via SH30, SH32 and Poihipi Rd down to Wairakei Drive. This will add approximately 40km and 27 minutes extra to journeys. For all heavy vehicles, the detour will be via SH30 and SH5 which is an additional 62km and approximately 42 minutes. Outside closure hours the road will be open in both directions with a temporary speed limit in place.

· Piarere to Tīrau: Night closures from September 29 until 6am on Friday, October 18 from SH29 Piarere to North Tīrau. Detour via SH29 and SH28. Resident access only on Totman Rd.

· Tokoroa to Ātiamuri: Full closure from 5am Monday, October 7 for six weeks (weather permitting). The closure is from the SH1/SH32 Tokoroa intersection to the SH1/SH30 intersection north of Ātiamuri. SH1 traffic heading to Taupō, and further south, will be detoured via SH32 and SH30 and vice versa. It is estimated the detour will add around 34 minutes, and 47.4km to the journey.

Coming up:

SH28 Putāruru to SH32 Tokoroa: Late November – December 23, SH30 Ātiamuri to SH5 Wairakei part 2: November – December. It is expected this closure will not be in place during the International Ironman event in Taupō December 14-15. There will be more closures along SH1 over the next 16 months as part of intense rebuild and repair work. All work before Christmas will be north of Taupō. You can keep up to date by signing up to the e-newsletter: more information.

An alternative route for those travelling longer distances, such as Hamilton to Waiouru, is to take SH49, SH4 and SH3 (or vice versa). SH4 is now suitable for HPMV for the duration of the SH1 Tīrau to Waiouru renewal project.

East Waikato

· SH25: Next week repairs to three slip damaged sites along SH25, between Tairua and Coromandel township, get under way. Our teams will begin work at Pumpkin Hill, just north of Tairua. The highway will be reduced to a single lane with stop/go traffic management while this work is done. This work is expected to take about six months. Work is also expected to start near Matarangi and at Te Kouma, with an expected finish in November. Stop/go traffic management will be in place during the day at both these sites, with a shoulder closure and temporary speed restriction in place outside of working hours. Drainage improvement works are also under way between Hikuai and Opoutere. More information.

Central Waikato

· SH41 Tokaanu: Due to a washout, the road is down to one lane under temporary traffic lights, with a 30km/h temporary speed restriction in place. Works to repair the washout continue and will be completed by the end of November.

West Waikato

· SH1 Waikato Expressway - Ngāruawāhia section: Safety improvements and remedial works required to get the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway up to 110km/h standard continue, with the aim of being completed by Christmas. All traffic is currently using the southbound lanes, to allow for work to be completed faster on the northbound lanes, while the work is taking place there is a reduced speed limit of 50km/h and through the transitions the speed limit is 30km/h. For the next several weeks a detour is under way where SH1C and SH1 merge. SH1C is closed to northbound traffic after the Lake Rd off-ramp, with all northbound SH1C traffic from Te Rapa/Horotiu turning at the northern interchange, heading south on SH1 to turn around at Resolution interchange and proceed north on SH1. The detour will add about eight minutes to journeys. Detour map

· SH39 Burbush, Hamilton: Road resurfacing is programmed for SH39 Koura Drive from Sunday, September 29 and is expected to take two nights to complete, between 8pm and 6am each night. While the work is happening there will be stop/go traffic management in place and the on- and off- ramps will be closed. All vehicles will be detoured via Koura Drive, Onion Road, Arthur Porter Drive and the SH1C / Crawford Street roundabout.

· SH3 Glenview, Hamilton: Road resurfacing will begin on Sunday 6 October and is expected to take two weeks to complete from 8pm to 6am, at night from Sunday to Thursday. When the work is taking place the road will be closed to through traffic between Lambert Court and View Rd. Light vehicles will be detoured via Lambert Court, MacDonald Rd, Saxbys Road, Deanwell Avenue, Collins Rd, Prisk St, Mount View Rd to re-join SH3. When the resurfacing outside the bush hub is happening, the detour will be via Resthill Cres, MacDonald Rd, Lambert Court to re-join SH3. HPMV, heavy and over dimensional vehicles will be stacked and released at regular intervals.

· SH31 Puti Bluffs: Work to repair a slip on SH31 at Puti Bluffs near Kāwhia continues. Work is expected to finish in early October. Work will be taking place Monday to Friday between 7am and 5pm each day, however this is dependent on tidal conditions.

· SH23 near Raglan: From Tuesday, October 1, for three days, chipsealing will be taking place at six locations on SH23 between Ōkete Rd and Waitetuna Rd. While this work is under way stop/go traffic management and a temporary 30km/h speed limit will be in place. During and after the chipsealing process traffic will be used to compact the seal, the new surface will be swept to remove loose chip and then finally line marked. The work will take place between 8am and 4.30pm each day.

· SH39 Pirongia: The annual Pirongia Craft Day takes place on Sunday, September29. This is the opportunity for local artists and growers to showcase their work. SH39 through the township will be closed from 9am to 6pm between Crozier St and Beechey St, with a detour available via McClure St and Beechy Rd.

· SH21 Tamahere Interchange: Starting overnight on Tuesday October 1 and taking three nights to complete, road resurfacing is taking place on the left lane on SH1 Waikato Expressway, Cambridge section, Tamahere and on the southbound on-ramp and SH21, Tauwhare Road roundabout. While this work is taking place SH1 Waikato Expressway will be reduced to one lane from the SH21 Tamahere Interchange for 1.5km. All vehicles will be detoured via SH1B Victoria Rd Interchange or SH26 Hillcrest Roundabout.

· SH26 Morrinsville Road: 2 weeks of enabling works has started between Platt Rd and Tauwhare Rd near Eureka from 9am to 5pm. There will be stop/go traffic management in place. Once the enabling works are finished the road rebuilding will begin, this is expected to take eight weeks to complete with a finish date in early November. There will be a one-way westbound detour in place 24/7 via Tauwhare Rd and Platt Rd which will add approximately four minutes to journeys, while the rebuilds take place.

· SH1/SH29 Piarere intersection: Traffic is now using the new roundabout at the intersection of SH1 and SH29 in Piarere. The roundabout opened to traffic on Tuesday, September 24 with two temporary approaches in action and a temporary layout in place. The new layout sees SH1 southbound traffic use the roundabout to turn onto a temporary road to carry on their journey south. SH1 Tīrau traffic heading to SH29 also uses the temporary road, with a give way rule in place, to turn right onto SH1 to the roundabout and exit at SH29. SH1 Tīrau traffic heading north enters a slip lane before merging with other northbound traffic. NZTA asks all road users to adhere to the signage, take extra care when travelling through the area as it’s still a work zone and be patient while people adjust to the new layout. This arrangement is expected to remain in place until late 2024. View a map here.

North Waikato

· SH1 Bombay interchange to Nikau Rd: There will be a full southbound closure on Monday, September 30 between 9pm and 5am for resurfacing. Traffic will still be able to travel south using one of the northbound lanes.

· SH1 Hampton Downs to Island Block Rd: There will be a full northbound closure on Thursday, October 3 between 9pm and 5am for general maintenance. Traffic will still be able to travel north using one of the southbound lanes.

· SH1/SH2 link to Oleary Rd: Stop/go traffic management will be in place on Thursday, October 3 between 9pm to 5am for general maintenance. SH1 southbound link to SH2 eastbound link will also be closed. Please follow SH1 south to Pōkeno southbound off-ramp. You will be able to turn around and re-enter the motorway using Pōkeno northbound on-ramp. Head north on SH1 and use the SH1 northbound to SH2 link.

· SH2 Kopuku Road to Coalfields Road: Stop/go traffic management will be in place on Sunday, September 29 between 9pm and 5am for signage installation.

· SH2 Steen Road to SH25 roundabout: Stop/go traffic management will be in place on Sunday, September 29 between 9pm and 5am to carry out line marking.

Taranaki

· SH3 Tongapōrutu: Bridge repairs are under way near Tongapōrutu from 7am to 6pm each day, there is stop/go traffic management and a reduced speed limit of 30km/h in place while repairs take place. The work is expected to be completed on Tuesday, October 1. Delays are to be expected.

· SH3 Waitara Rd, Bell Block: A small section of Waitara Rd will be closed from Sunday, September 15 until late November to progress safety improvement work on SH3 in Taranaki, this work includes stormwater improvements, the relocation of underground services, and pavement works. During the closure a detour will be in place along Richmond Rd, the detour will add an extra five minutes to journeys. SH3 through the intersection will remain open to traffic with a 50km/h temporary speed limit in place. More information

The above information is accurate at the time of release. Many of the above works are dependent on a number of factors, particularly weather, and may be postponed at short notice. For up-to-date information on road works, traffic, detours and delays, motorists are encouraged to visit the NZTA Journey Planner website (journeys.nzta.govt.nz). NZTA thanks motorists for their patience while we complete this essential work to keep the state highway network safe, accessible and resilient.

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey.

Keep up to date with:

• Traffic updates: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nztawbop

• X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/nztawbop

• Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz

• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)