Marlborough Roads Recovery Update

13 March 2025

This Weeks Summary

Construction closures are planned at the following locations: Pukenui Road, Queen Charlotte Drive, Moetapu Bay Road and Kenepuru Road, approximately 5km past The Heads. Please see the road closure section for more information.

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

Tree felling will be underway on Kenepuru Road at Nopera, tomorrow Friday 14 March. Please plan ahead for delays of up to 30 minutes. 

The road closure in place on Moetapu Bay Road for drainage improvements and culvert installations will continue until Monday 17 March.

On Croisilles-French Pass Road construction will begin on a road retreat prior to the Elaine Bay intersection from Tuesday 1 April. This work will require road closures please refer to the road closure section for more information.

Drainage improvements on Pukenui Road started 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:

• Road closures
• Kenepuru Road
• Kaituna
• Moetapu Bay
• Pelorus
• Queen Charlotte Drive
• Waihopai Valley

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.

Road closures

Pukenui Road - Queen Charlotte Drive

Pukenui Road will 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. The crew will then 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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Moetapu Bay Road - Driftwood Corner

Moetapu Bay Road at Driftwood Corner is closed to all traffic for a culvert installation until Monday 17 March. The closure is in place on weekdays from 9am to 12pm and 12.30pm to 3pm. 

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5km from Kenepuru Heads - Kenepuru Road 

On Friday 14 March, daytime construction closures are in place on Kenepuru Road, approximately 5km past Kenepuru Heads towards Waitaria Bay for drainage improvements and culvert installation. The closures are in place from 8.30am to 12pm and 12.30pm to 5pm.

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Croisilles-French Pass Road - French Pass

From Monday 1 April daytime construction closures will be in place on Croisilles-French Pass Road, for 1.5km before the Elaine Bay intersection. During the closure a road retreat, drainage improvements and road reinstatement works will be carried out. The closures will be in place from 8am to 12pm and 12.30pm to 4.30pm 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.

Current 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 Tuesday 1 April. Drainage improvements and road reinstatement works will be completed during the closures which will be in place on weekdays between 8am and 4.30pm. Please refer to the road closure section of this newsletter for more information. 

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 excavation for a new culvert. The placement of precast panels and setup for the concrete pour is also in progress. 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 this week. Construction at this site is operating under stop/go traffic light management. This work is expected to take four weeks. Please expect minor delays. 

Tree felling near the Nopera Golf Course will be completed tomorrow, Friday 14 March. There is up to 30 minute delays at this site. 

Minor works, shoulder support and road stabilisation on Kenepuru Road between the Heads and Waitaria Bay is underway. There are multiple active sites under construction within this section, each with short delays. Please allow for extra travelling time through this section of Kenepuru Road

Culvert installation and drainage improvements are nearing completion on Kenepuru Road, approximately 2km past Ohauparuparu Bay under daytime construction closures. Please see the road closure section for further information.

Please expect an increase in truck movements from Linkwater to Kenepuru Heads on weekdays. Piloted truck and trailer loads will be carting material leaving Linkwater around 5.30am and 11am making return trips. 

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.

Excavation and precast preparations underway at Torea Barge Ramp

Moetapu Bay

Daytime construction closures are in place prior to Driftwood Corner until Monday 17 March, for the installation of a culvert that traverses the road. Please refer to the road closure section for more information. 

Outside of these road closures, works will be completed under stop/go traffic management. Please plan ahead for minor delays.

Sealing at Elephant Point, Moetapu Bay Road

Pelorus

Abutment scour protection work at Kaiuma Bay Bridge began this week. The abutments have been dug out, steelwork, completed and the new support constructed. 

Once this work is complete the crew will move further along 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. 

Hydroseeding and planting at Dalton's Bridge was completed this week and the crew has disestablished from site.

Overslip clearance on Kaiuma Bay Road completed last week

Queen Charlotte Drive

Drainage improvements and road reinstatement on Pukenui Road began this week under daily road closures. Work to excavate and construct a retaining wall at the base of the road is also underway. The road closures are scheduled for three weeks and once 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. 

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