Local residents and regular users of State Highway 60 over the Tākaka Hill need to prepare for planned night-time, and daytime stop/go traffic management next month.
Andrew James, System Manager, Top of the South, says the State Highway will be subject to daytime stop/go traffic control from Tuesday 7 February to Tuesday 21 February.
Then, between Sunday 26 February and the morning of Friday 17 March, every Sunday to Thursday, there will also be night closures of the road with a short opening around 1 am for queued traffic.
"This is to allow annual summer maintenance work, asphalting and chipsealing, to be carried out. It'll see resealing of parts of the road on both sides of the hills and other maintenance work, such as clearing water channels and fixing slips and guard rails.”
“Because of the road's narrowness and to keep contractors safe, the road must be closed at night while this work is done. This also allows contractors to get work done much faster.”
Mr James says Waka Kotahi is conscious of the need to maintain access for residents and tourists over the busy summer period.
“This is why we’re choosing to do stop/go traffic control during the day while the works are underway. We want to ensure road access is available/. However, drivers should expect and plan for delays when crossing the Tākaka Hill. It is also important they observe speed limits in road work areas and follow the instructions of our contractors. We need to keep our road crews safe, and we also want drivers to get to their destinations safely too.”
Mr James understands the road works will be inconvenient for residents and regular road users.
He says, “The nature of the materials we are working with, particularly asphalt, means some of this work has to be done during the day. We can’t lay the material successfully under colder night-time conditions. This work is crucial if we are to keep the road resilient over the coming winter, and I want to thank locals for their patience as our contractors get it done.”
These roadworks are weather dependent and may be rescheduled.
Daytime Stop/Go traffic controls:
Night closures:
