SH1 Rolleston Access Improvements

Project Update April 2026

21 April 2026

The roundabout is taking shape with the southern half now open for traffic turning left into, and out of, the new Dunns Crossing Road.

Project milestones

Over the past month, we’ve reached several milestones on the project and set the stage for our next phase of work. It’s a good time to update everyone who lives in, works in, or travels through the area, and to say a big thank you to the community.

We know the amount of work happening on the State Highway can be highly disruptive at times, especially with traffic management and night works. Your patience, particularly over two busy weekends while crews worked overnight to connect the highway to the new roundabout approaches and resurface the new road, has been greatly appreciated.

Dunns Crossing Roundabout

Work at Dunns Crossing is progressing well, with a major milestone reached last week.Traffic has now been moved onto the south side of the roundabout, and the new section of Dunns Crossing Road is open.

The southern half of the roundabout is open for through traffic and people turning left into, and left out of, the new Dunns Crossing Road.  The image below shows how people can use the new temporary layout.

This step allows the team to move ahead with building the other half of the subway and north side of the roundabout, including upgrading the Walkers Road approach. As part of this change, the old section of Dunns Crossing Road that connected to SH1 is now permanently closed and will be turned into a cul‑de‑sac.

Below right, the new road built on top of the pedestrian subway, and left, landscaping underway at the corner of the new Dunns Crossing Road and Newman Road extension, looking towards the roundabout and stormwater swales.

There’s still plenty of activity happening in this area, so please take care when travelling through — slow down, follow the signs, and thank you for helping to keep our crews safe while they work.

Here’s a look at the new road layout.

Weedons Road Interchange

The upgrade at the Weedons Road interchange is nearly complete, and the new traffic signals will be up and running from next week.

These signals have been designed to make things smoother for everyone by reducing queues on the SH1 southbound off‑ramp and improving traffic flow around the roundabout. The signals will be green most of the time, with the red signal only activating when there’s a queue on the off‑ramp. This will briefly hold Weedons Road traffic so vehicles can safely enter the roundabout from the off-ramp and help stop traffic backing up onto the motorway.

Upcoming work

Over the next eight weeks, the focus for the team will be building the second half of the roundabout on the northern side - including excavating the second half of the subway and preparing for the remaining precast concrete units and wingwall to be installed.

Our crews will also be busy carrying out stormwater works under and around the roundabout, earthworks to prepare for the construction of the remaining roundabout legs and traffic lanes, commissioning the signals at the new level crossing, building footpaths, completing the Dunns Crossing cul-de-sac, installing streetlights, signs and final utilities, as well as landscaping and planting.

There’s still lots to do but we’re making good progress and will keep you updated in the coming weeks.

More information

For more information see our website and sign up for the newsletter. You can also subscribe for work notices, which will outline the days, time and duration of specific pieces of work that may cause disruption. 

For specific questions email rollestonaccess@nzta.govt.nz