Maintaining your roads

The 2023/24 road maintenance season will see a number of sections of state highway rebuilt, as well as 78 lane kilometres resealed over the summer programme.

During the summer months, road users can expect to encounter a number of roadwork sites and sections of newly sealed road on their journey.

It is important that drivers follow the temporary traffic management in place and adhere to all speed restrictions in place for the safety or road users and crews alike.

Speeding over a freshly sealed road can damage the new seal, lifting and flicking stones from the road that can, in turn, damage nearby vehicles or your own.

To minimise the risk of damage to both vehicles and the new seal, it is crucial that road users adhere to all temporary speed restrictions in place. 

Road users can expect some disruption to travel across the region during the summer period. We appreciate your patience and understanding while we work to improve the condition of Taranaki state highways.

Use Journey Planner before you leave for your destination for the most up-to-date information on the state highway network.

Journey Planner(external link)

Upcoming SH3 Mt Messenger resurfacing works: 2 April – 19 April 2024

To improve the resilience of Mt Messenger, a key access corridor for Taranaki, and help maintain the state highway until the Mt Messenger Bypass is complete, asphalt resurfacing will be completed under a series of stop/go traffic controls and full road closures from Tuesday 2 April – Friday 19 April.

Most of the work will be completed at night when traffic volumes are lower to minimise disruption as much as possible. Due to the narrow and winding nature of SH3 Mt Messenger, the work will be completed under a combination of stop/go traffic management where possible, and road closures where it is too narrow to do otherwise.

To avoid disruption, please plan ahead, consider delaying travel where possible and check NZTA Journey Planner for up to date details. A schedule of the works is listed below.

Full road closure:

  • Friday 5 April 7pm to 4am Monday 8 April.
  • The road will open to clear traffic queues at scheduled times.

Stop/go traffic management will be in place 6pm – 6am, expect delays of up to 20-30 minutes:

  • Tuesday 2 April – Thursday 4 April
  • Monday 8 April – Friday 19 April.

If the weather isn’t suitable, the work may be postponed to the next available date.

We understand this work will cause inconvenience, but it is necessary to ensure everyone can travel safely on the road.

Frequently asked questions about SH3 Mt Messenger resurfacing works(external link)

SH3 Mt Messenger schedule

Date

Time

Status

Stop/Go

 

Tuesday 2 April – Thursday 4 April

6pm-6am

OPEN: Stop/Go

Friday 5 April

7pm – Midnight

CLOSED

Closure

 

 

Saturday 6 April

Midnight – 1am

OPEN

1-5am

CLOSED

5-7am

OPEN

7am-12pm

CLOSED

12-1pm

OPEN

1-5pm

CLOSED

5-7pm

OPEN

7pm-Midnight

CLOSED

Sunday 7 April

Midnight-1am

OPEN

1-5am

CLOSED

5-7am

OPEN

7am-12pm

CLOSED

12-1pm

OPEN

1-5pm

CLOSED

5-7pm

OPEN

7pm-Midnight

CLOSED

Monday 8 April

Midnight - 1am

OPEN

1am-4am

CLOSED

Stop/Go

 

 

Tuesday 9 April – Thursday 11 April

6pm – 6am

OPEN: Stop/Go

Planned works

  • Rehabilitations – 6.1 lane km
  • Resurfacing – 2.7 lane km
  • Resealing – 83.1 lane km
  • SCRIM – 8.3 lane km
  • Percentage of network to be renewed – 7.6%
  • Total state highway spend - $36.1 million

Planned maintenance infographic for Taranaki 2023/24 [PDF, 923 KB]

Taranaki interactive map

You can see all the roadworks planned for state highways across the Taranaki region over the 2023/24 summer programme on this interactive map.

Interactive map(external link)

 Work locations

Location

Work activity

Timeframe

Impact

SH3 Mt Messenger

Asphalt resurfacing

2 - 19 April

Stop/go and full road closures. See schedule.

SH3 Rangikura

Road rehabilitation

Ongoing until Feb 2024

Expect delays of approximately 5-10 minutes.

SH4 Paroparowhere Stream, Taumaranui

Emergency works – culvert replacement

November 2023–June 2024

Expect delays of approximately 5-10 minutes.

SH3 Manawapou

Heavy maintenance

Ongoing until Feb 2024

Expect delays of approximately 5-10 minutes.

SH3 Uruti Cutting

Road rehabilitation

Ongoing to March 2024

Expect delays of up to 20-30 minutes.

SH3 Mountain Road Midhirst-Hawera

Asphalt resealing

29 Jan–2 Feb 2024

Expect delays of approximately 10 minutes.

SH3 Taumarunui

Asphalt renewal

To be confirmed

To be confirmed

SH3 Awakino Gorge

Asphalt resurfacing

To be confirmed

To be confirmed

SH3 Junction Road/Hydro Road

Asphalt renewals

To be confirmed

To be confirmed

SH3 Midhirst (Te Popo Bridge) and Tariki (St Johns Road)

Heavy maintenance

Complete

 

SH3 Devon Road, Bell Block

Asphalt resurfacing

Complete

 

SH3 Tongāporutu

Road rehabilitation

Complete

 

SH3A Inglewood between Hursthouse and Davis Roads

Road rehabilitation

Complete

 

SH3 Tariki between Surrey and Rugby Roads

Road rehabilitation

Complete

 

SH3 Matai Street Inglewood

Asphalt resurfacing

Complete

 

SH3 Stratford Broadway

Asphalt renewals

Complete

 

SH3 Inglewood to Stratford

Asphalt resealing

Complete

 

Why are there so many roadworks in summer?

Watch our video to find out why summer is the best time to carry out roadworks.

Tips for driving through worksites

Watch our video for tips on driving safely through worksites.

Tips for driving on freshly laid chipseal

Watch our video with advice for driving on freshly laid chipseal.

Tips for driving on freshly laid chipseal

Ongoing road maintenance

State Highway 4, Taumarunui  

Work to replace a temporary culvert on State Highway 4 north of Taumarunui, between the intersection of SH43 and Okahukura Bridge Road, will start this summer and will continue for approximately six months.

The temporary drainage has been in place after heavy rainfall caused a culvert to flood and collapse last year, creating a large hole in the northbound lane. Workers temporarily reinstated the road to two lanes until a longer-term solution could be put in place.

This will start this season and will involve the construction of a temporary lane to maintain traffic flow under stop/go controls, while road workers install a 3.5 x 4 metre box culvert. The work is scheduled to take approximately six months, weather permitting.

State Highway 3, Uruti (Downer’s Cutting)

Road workers began slip repairs at SH3 Uruti, north of Mangamaio Road in October. The work includes the installation of rock mesh protection to improve the safety and resilience of this slip-prone area of the network.

Work will be complete in March 2024 (weather permitting). Workers will be onsite 6am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday. The site will be run using stop/go traffic controls, with traffic being held in both directions at times, with delays of approximately 20-30 minutes for the duration of construction.

Consultations

Interim State Highway Speed Management Plan

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi asked for feedback on its speed management plan for state highways. Submissions closed on 12 December 2022.

The plan is now undergoing the certification process with a newly formed Speed Management Committee, which provides an independent review of Waka Kotahi speed management plans and advises the Director of Land Transport.

Once a decision has been made by the Director, we will publish it on our website. We will also inform all partners, stakeholders, and submitters that requested an email update of the outcome.

Interim State Highway Speed Management Plan consultation

Frequently asked questions

If you have questions about highway maintenance, have a look at our highway maintenance frequently asked questions.

Highway maintenance frequently asked questions

SH3 Mt Messenger resurfacing works frequently asked questions

Compensation requests

Occasionally you may experience an issue on the state highway network that results in damage to your vehicle. Examples of this include chipped windscreens when driving on a section of newly sealed road, or tyre damage when driving over a pothole.

Waka Kotahi, through its road maintenance contracts, has an obligation to take reasonable care to maintain the state highway network in good condition. However, in doing so we're constrained by available funding, weather events and resources. For this reason, we can't guarantee that the entire network will ever be free of defects.

You should drive to the local conditions, and recognise that conditions may vary along a stretch of road. You should have insurance for your vehicle in the event of any damage that may occur on the road, and your insurer should be your first point of contact when any damage has occurred.

State highway improvement projects