NZ Transport Agency road crews have been working hard since first light to keep the state highways open and safe after a night of severe winds and heavy rain on the West Coast of the South Island. Crews are continuing to patrol state highways through the day
Important Otago highway project opened on hot Dunedin day
Five years of safety and highway improvement work costing $45 million on Dunedin’s main State Highway south of the city was celebrated today (25 November) by Minister of Transport Hon Simon Bridges and parties involved in the project.
The next stage of the NZ Transport Agency’s Mingha Bluff to Rough Creek realignment project is about to begin, with drivers likely to have short delays over a one-lane stretch for several months.
Drivers using State Highway 1 between Arowhenua and Seadown (between Temuka and Timaru) should build in a little extra time from this week, 17 November to 11 December and again early in the New Year, after the holiday period.
Major repairs on the HouHou bridge, north of Hokitika, will begin next week, 16 November and take until Monday, 21 December. Scaffolding may be erected by the end of this week (ie by 13 November) and preliminary work can start next week.
The NZ Transport Agency will start work on Monday, 16 November, repairing running boards on the Rakaia Gorge Bridge, inspecting the bridge’s steel truss support from the bridge deck and installing new kerbs on the bridge.
Drivers who use the Taramakau Bridge between Kumara Junction and Greymouth should expect delays of up to 15 minutes on Tuesday, 10 November as the bridge deck is repaired.
State Highway 8 at Pleasant Point, near Timaru, will be closed from Khan Street to Tengawai Road on Saturday, November 7 for the Pleasant Point Gymkhana/Get to the Point event.
Road users who normally travel across Dunedin using State Highway 1, or who travel to or from the Port of Otago at Port Chalmers, should be ready for detours and delays Thursday afternoon. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are arriving at the Dunedin Railway Station in the afternoon.