A wide centreline was painted on the recently resealed section of SH1 just south of Taupō last month

Wide centre line to improve safety on SH1 Taupō

Road users on State Highway 1 at Five Mile Bay, just south of Taupō, will have noticed new wide centrelines as part safety improvements in and around the region.

The 1.5m wide centreline was painted on the recently resealed section of the state highway between the Taupō Airport/Lake Terrace roundabout and Tawhaa Road last month. This is part of planned safety improvements on SH1 in and around the Taupō region to make our state highways safer to support the delivery of Road to Zero, New Zealand’s road safety strategy.

Wide centrelines provide greater separation for opposing traffic than standard centreline markings and help reduce the likelihood of head-on crashes.

We’re also investigating options such as flexible median and roadside safety barriers on SH1 from Taupō Airport to Hātepe, excluding the township of Waitahanui. We’re engaging with iwi, stakeholders and the community throughout the feasibility and design stages. Construction could start in late 2022, subject to funding and other planning requirements. 

Roadworks on SH41 and SH1 Desert Road

Roadworks in the area continue as we improve the roads, increase safety and make people’s journeys more enjoyable.

Stop/Go traffic management will be in place on sections of SH41 between Kuratau and Taumarunui this week, weather permitting.

We will be laying chipseal on SH41 and SH47 between Tūrangi and National Park, SH1 Desert Road and SH49 between Waiouru and Ōhakune from mid-January to the end of February.

While we aim to do all of this work with as little disruption as possible, there will inevitably be delays to journeys. We encourage you to plan ahead using the journey planner to minimise delays.

Please drive carefully through work sites, keep to the temporary speed limits and be respectful of our crews who are working hard to maintain the roads. To find out more, go to our Waikato roadworks page

SH1 East Taupō Arterial resealing works

Work to reseal SH1 between Napier Road and Centennial Drive will take place early next year now that work to install flexible median safety barriers and roadside barriers is complete.

There will be delays, speed restrictions and possible overnight closures in place during the resealing so please drive carefully through the work sites and keep to the temporary speed limits.

The next stage of the SH1 safety improvement work between Centennial Drive and Wairākei is expected to start in late 2022, subject to funding. Read more

More information

For more information on the SH1 Taupō projects, contact us at Waikato.Projects@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/sh1-taupo