Marlborough Roads Recovery Update

20 March 2025

This Weeks Summary

Construction closures are planned at the following locations: Pukenui Road, Queen Charlotte Drive, Tennyson Inlet Road, and Croisilles-French Pass Road (1.5km before the Elaine Bay intersection). Please see the road closure section for more information.

Construction on Torea barge ramp continues. Works is being carried out Monday to Saturday between 6am and 8pm. Temporary pedestrian access to the jetty is in place while construction is underway. 

On Croisilles-French Pass Road, construction of a road retreat prior to the Elaine Bay intersection will begin on Monday 7 April. This work will require road closures please refer to the road closure section for more information.

Drainage improvements on Pukenui Road continued this week under daytime construction closures. Please refer to the road closures section for more information. 

When travelling near or past our work sites, please ensure you keep outside any fences or barriers for your safety. Adhere to, and do not move any traffic or safety management in place (i.e. cones/signs/traffic lights).

Keep reading for information on:

• Waitaria Bay Jetty replacement
• Road closures
• Priority giveway
• Kenepuru Road restrictions
• French Pass
• Kenepuru Road
• Moetapu Bay
• Pelorus
• Queen Charlotte Drive
• Tennyson Inlet

Waitaria Bay Jetty replacement

Marlborough Roads has engaged engineering consultancy WSP to provide options to replace the Waitaria Bay Jetty that was damaged in the August 2022 storm.

The area where the jetty is currently situated is geotechnically unstable. Options have been considered to determine if another suitable location can be found within Waitaria Bay. However, community feedback overwhelmingly supports the new jetty to be in the same location. This means that a new jetty will need to be resilient to future land movement.

The below plan is the preferred option for replacement. It provides the ability for future land movement that will leave the jetty serviceable. To view the plan in a larger scale click on the image below. 

If the community wish to provide any feedback on this proposal, please email the Recovery team on recovery@marlboroughroads.com.

Road closures

Pukenui Road - Queen Charlotte Drive

Pukenui Road will continue to be closed to all traffic from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, until the end of March. 

The closure is in place for three weeks for drainage improvements and road reinstatement works. Once completed, the crew will move onto Queen Charlotte Drive for the next stage of works.

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Night time Closures - Queen Charlotte Drive 

On Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 April Queen Charlotte Drive will be closed above Pukenui Road, midway between Havelock and Linkwater from 7pm to 5am with openings on the hour until 11pm. Works are planned to finish at 5am on Thursday 10 April. If works are delayed due to weather or other unforeseeable circumstances Thursday 10 and Friday 11 April will be contingency days for these works. 

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Croisilles-French Pass Road - French Pass

From Monday 7 April daytime construction closures will be in place on Croisilles-French Pass Road, for 1.5km before the Elaine Bay intersection. During the closures a road retreat, drainage improvements and road reinstatement works will be carried out. On Monday 7 April the closures will be in place from 10am to 12pm and 12.30pm to 4.30pm. From Tuesday 8 April, the closures will be in place from 8am to 12pm and 12.30pm to 4.30pm on weekdays.

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Tennyson Inlet Road - Tennyson Inlet

From Monday 7 April until late May daytime construction closures will be in place on Tennyson Inlet Road, approximately 1.5km before the Opouri Saddle. During the closures the construction of a rail iron wall and stabilisation works will be carried out. The closures will be in place from 8am to 12pm and 12.30pm to 5pm on weekdays.

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To view the closure locations, please visit the CDEM map.

Outside of the closure days and times, works will be carried out under stop/go traffic management with up to 10 minute delays. If you have any concerns, please contact recovery@marlboroughroads.com.

The round sign with a red border, two arrows and GIVEWAY indicates that a priority giveway is in place on the road ahead.

The large black arrow on the sign shows the direction of traffic that has right of way, and can proceed first if traffic is at both ends of the road.

When approaching a priority giveway, please slow down and check for vehicles that may already be driving on the road, before proceeding.

Important!
When coming up to a one-lane section of road with priority giveway, take note of the signs:

• A red circle shows you must give way.
• The arrows show the direction in which traffic is travelling on the road.
• The large black arrow indicates which vehicle has priority.
• The smaller red arrow shows the vehicle that should give way.

Kenepuru Road restrictions

Kenepuru Road is open to the public, with overweight and overlength vehicle restrictions in place. 

Reduced speed limit signage and temporary traffic lights are in place at Portage Heights, the 'water tank slip' site and approximately 500m beyond Nikau Cove (when travelling from Portage). All three sites have a 30km temporary speed limit in place. Please expect minor delays and follow all traffic management signage.

Vehicle restrictions remain on Kenepuru Road from Linkwater to the Heads as follows:

Vehicle Restrictions

Vehicles up to 12.6m in length, and 6 tonne in weight can travel on Kenepuru Road and side roads.

To apply for a permit for an over dimension vehicle to travel on Kenepuru Road, email recovery@marlboroughroads.com or call 0800 213 213. 

There are the following hazards on this section of Kenepuru Road and its side roads including Moetapu Bay Road:

• Slips
• Drop outs
• Single lane in places
• Increased hazard during rain
• Uneven surfaces and gravel sections

Other recovery roads

Please be aware that on all roads, works may be in progress and/or traffic management in place. Please expect delays and follow all signage and traffic management.

Heavy rain may lead to roads being closed at short notice. Regardless of the status of the road, please drive to the conditions.

To check the status of a road before you travel, please visit the CDEM Map.

French Pass

Work on a road retreat on Croisilles-French Pass Road, for 1.5km before the Elaine Bay Road intersection, is scheduled to begin Monday 7 April. Drainage improvements and road reinstatement works will be completed during the closures which will be in place on weekdays from 8am to 12pm and 12.30 to 4.30pm. Please refer to the road closure section of this newsletter for more information. 

Minor works have been completed on Croisilles-French Pass Road this week. 

Please follow all traffic management when you're travelling through our worksites to ensure the safety of crews and road users. Temporary speed restrictions and traffic management will be in place. Please plan ahead and allow for minor delays of up to 10 minutes.

Kenepuru Road

With construction at 'water tank slip' completed, new signage will be installed on this section of the road. This is one of several stretches of Kenepuru Road that will operate under priority giveway. Please refer to the priority giveway section of this newsletter for more information.

Temporary traffic lights remain in place at Portage Heights and approximately 500m beyond Nikau Cove (when travelling from Portage). Both sites have a 30km temporary speed limit in place. Please expect minor delays and follow all traffic management signage.

Work at Torea barge ramp continues with the placement of precast panels and preparatory work ahead of the concrete pour. Last week the excavation and installation of a new culvert was completed. Construction at this site is being carried out from Monday to Saturday between the hours of 6am and 8pm, to work in with tides. Temporary pedestrian access to the jetty from the road is available while work is underway. 

Approximately 800m past the Moetapu Bay Road turn off on Kenepuru Road work to construct a retaining wall began last week with the installation of rail irons. This week the wall has been backfilled and a culvert has also been installed at this site. 

On Kenepuru Road, approximately 900m past Nikau Cove crews established onsite this week to start construction of a rail iron wall. Works at this site will continue over the coming weeks. 

Culvert installation and drainage improvements were completed last week on Kenepuru Road, approximately 2km past Ohauparuparu Bay under daytime construction closures. 

On Kenepuru Road between the Heads and Waitaria Bay, minor work and road stabilisation have been completed. Shoulder support in this area is also nearing completion with pavement preparation and sealing undertaken this week. Work at these sites, will have delays of up to 15 minutes while sealing is underway. 

Please expect an increase in truck movements from Linkwater to Kenepuru Heads on weekdays.

Please note we are currently undertaking unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveying of Kenepuru Road and surrounding areas. The UAV surveys topographical features of the road and surrounding slopes/slips to inform designs.

Rail irons installed on Kenepuru Road, 800m past the Moetapu Bay turn off

Precast panels placed at Torea Barge Ramp

Moetapu Bay

A culvert was installed last week, under daytime construction closures on Moetapu Bay Road, just prior to Driftwood Corner.

Drainage improvements will continue at this site under stop/go traffic management in the coming weeks.

A culvert installed on Moetapu Bay Road near Driftwood Corner

Pelorus

Work on the abutments for the scour protection work on Kaiuma Bay Bridge was completed last week. Next week rock will be placed, and vegetation clearance will be undertaken. 

This week the crew have moved to the second site on Kaiuma Bay Road, 2km before the end of the road, to undertake drainage improvements and pavement and culvert repairs. Please plan ahead for minor delays. 

Planting and hydroseeding was completed last week at Dalton's Bridge

Landscaping complete at Dalton's Bridge

Queen Charlotte Drive

Drainage improvements and road reinstatement on Pukenui Road started last week under daily road closures. Work to construct a retaining wall at the base of the road continues this week. Next week excavation and preparation for a concrete dish channel is planned. Once the road closures are complete, works will continue under stop/go traffic management.

On Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 of April Queen Charlotte Drive, halfway between Havelock and Linkwater above Pukenui Road, will be under night time construction closures to complete drainage improvements.

Please see the road closure section of this newsletter for more information on these closures. 

Retaining wall installation preparation on Pukenui Road

Piles concreted for the new retaining wall on lower Pukenui Road

Tennyson Inlet

From Monday 7 April until late May daytime construction closures will be in place on Tennyson Inlet Road, approximately 1.5km before the Opouri Saddle. During the closures the construction of a rail iron wall and stabilisation works will be carried out. The closures will be in place from 8am to 12pm and 12.30pm to 5pm on weekdays.

Further Information

Marlborough Roads 0800 213 213, between 9.00am - 4.00pm, Monday to Friday.

For more information on the Marlborough Roads recovery project or to subscribe to this newsletter, contact us at recovery@marlboroughroads.com

Visit our webpage: www.nzta.govt.nz/marlborough-roads-recovery

For more information: 

For local roading alerts/updates go to Marlborough District Council's website

Sign up to the Antenno App to receive notifications on your phone.

Check the Civil Defence Emergency Management map for road access restrictions. 

If you require welfare support contact Marlborough District Council on 03 520 7400 or email mdc@marlborough.govt.nz

If you require an overlength permit for vehicles over 12.6m to travel on Queen Charlotte Drive between Linkwater and Picton please email Marlborough Roads NZTA Office, 4 Market Street Blenheim on MRoadsadmin@nzta.govt.nz