New chip seal to improve safety on SH2 before summer holidays

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Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advises there will be daytime resurfacing on State Highway 2 from 23 November to 9 December ahead of the busy summer holiday season.

New chip seal will be laid on three separate sections of the state highway from Monday to Friday between 9am and 3pm to improve the road’s safety and resilience: 

  • 23 – 26 November Dobson Road to Mangatawhiri Road
  • 27 and 30 November Wyatt Road to Kopuku Road
  • 1 -4 December and 7 – 9 December Coalfields Road to Dimmock Road

The resealing is scheduled for midweek daytime hours when there’s less traffic and it’s safer for the road crews. Warmer daytime temperatures also improve the seal quality.

A stop/go traffic management system will be in place and motorists can expect some delays, says Waka Kotahi Auckland System Manager Andrea Williamson.

“Motorists are advised to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.”

“The traffic management team will closely monitor traffic queues to ensure that delays are kept to a minimum. We ask for patience and understanding while we carry out this essential maintenance work ahead of the busy summer season.”

“We also ask that motorists keep to the temporary speed limits as they drive through the work area or on the recently laid chip seal. Keeping to the speed limit helps press the new chip layer into the seal. Driving too fast or too slow can damage the seal or cause chips to scatter and potentially damage windscreens or vehicles.”
Road sweepers will remove excess chip outside the work hours.

The resealing is weather dependent and may be postponed at short notice.

Andrea Williamson says the SH2 resealing work is part of Waka Kotahi’s nationwide $127 million summer maintenance programme that will see nearly 2,000 lane kilometres of state highway resealed, including more than 75 lane kilometres in the Auckland region.

“Last year Waka Kotahi delivered the biggest ever annual maintenance programme and we are working hard to optimise our road maintenance and renewal work at a time when there is a finite amount of funding available and growing demands on the roading network.” 

“We have utilised all available funding for state highway maintenance in the 2018-2021 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP), with no money left unspent. The maintenance budget has not been reduced, nor is it constrained by the impacts of COVID-19.”

For tips on safely driving on new chip seal, see this video(external link).

Tips on safely driving on new chip seal 

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