Waikato state highway maintenance programme

Saturday 14 February to Friday 20 February 2026

13 February 2026

State highway maintenance and renewals update

State highways with scheduled works starting next week:

• SH29 Hinuera
• SH26 Morrinsville
• SH25A Kōpū Hikuai
• SH1 Piarere
• SH1 Karāpiro
• SH1 Desert Road
• SH1 East Taupō Arterial

Roadworks may be postponed due to rain or other factors that disrupt the weekly schedule.

Please be aware that there may be other less disruptive state highway works not listed in this newsletter.

Check the NZTA Journey Planner for the latest travel information and journey times before starting your journey: journeys.nzta.govt.nz

West Waikato

Work starting next week

SH3/30 Te Kūiti: Overnight road resurfacing on SH3, between Duke Street and Seddon Street, will start on Sunday 15 February. Work will be done Sunday to Thursday nights, between 8pm and 6am, and is expected to take 8 nights to complete. There will be a detour via Awakino Road, Taupiri Street, Alexandra Street, and Rora Street.

SH31 Kāwhia Road: Work will start near Te Rauamoa Road next week on Monday 16 February starting with tree and vegetation removal, then shoulder and drainage works followed by a road rebuild. The entire works will take 10 weeks to complete. Stop/go traffic management will be in place 24/7 with a temporary speed limit while the work is ongoing. 

SH1 Karāpiro: Road resurfacing will take place on Sunday 15 and Monday 16 of February between 10pm and 4am. There will be stop/go traffic management with delays of up to 20 minutes.

SH1 Piarere: One night of resealing roadwork is scheduled to take place on SH1 between the SH1/SH29 roundabout and Horahora Road in Piarere, from 7pm to 6am on Thursday 19 February. Stop/go traffic management will be in place for northbound traffic, while southbound traffic will be detoured on SH29 and SH27. The full southbound closure is required due to the proximity of the work site to the Piarere roundabout and the possibility of stop/go traffic management in the southern lane causing traffic to tail back, requiring traffic management on all legs of the roundabout and creating wider disruption. Plan ahead for northbound delays of up to 20 minutes and southbound delays of up to 34 minutes.

SH1C Cambridge Road: Road resurfacing on SH1C between SH26 Morrinsville Road and Riverlea Road will start on Sunday 15 February, taking 2 nights to complete between 8pm and 5am. While the work is taking place, there will be a detour northbound by exiting the SH26 Ruakura Interchange onto Morrinsville Road to re-join SH1C. Southbound vehicles will remain on SH1C Cambridge Road. The intersections of SH1C, Howell Avenue and River Road will be closed to through traffic and entry and exits to SH1C will be via local roads.

Work starting soon

SH1C Kahikatea Drive, Hamilton: Road resurfacing will start on Sunday 22 February and take 2 weeks to complete between Alison Street and Tawa Drive. Crews will be working between 8pm and 5am each night, Sundays to Thursdays with stop/go traffic management in place.

SH1C Lorne Street, Hamilton: Road resurfacing will start on Sunday 8 March and take 3 nights to complete between SH3 Ōhaupō Road and SH1C Cobham Drive. Crews will be working between 8pm and 5am. There will be stop/go traffic management and lane closures in place.

SH23 Massey Street, Hamilton: Resurfacing work will start on Massey Street on Sunday 8 March at night between 8pm and 5am each night. SH23 between SH1C Greenwood Street and Rifle Range Road will be closed to all through traffic while the work is taking place, with a detour will be available via Killarney Road.

SH31 Kāwhia Road: Maintenance will soon begin on a retaining wall on SH31 Kāwhia Road, the work will take around a month, more information will be available soon.

Work underway

SH3 Ōhaupō to Te Awamutu: Crews will be returning on Sunday 8 February to complete the remaining 4 sections between Ōhaupō and Te Awamutu. Work will take place Sunday to Thursday, both during the day and at night. Stop/go traffic management will be in place while the work is ongoing, followed by aftercare on the worksite which will include rolling, sweeping, and line marking. 

SH31 Kāwhia Road: Traffic management will continue at various slip sites until repairs are completed, which is currently expected by mid-2026. During this time, motorists may encounter stop/go operations, temporary speed limits, and short delays. Motorists should allow extra time for your journey, follow all temporary traffic management and posted speed limits, and take care through work areas. 

SH31 Kāwhia Road: Near Te Rauamoa Road, shoulder and drainage works started on Tuesday 27 January and are expected to finish next week. Following this, road rebuild works will start and take 6 weeks to complete. Stop/go traffic management will be in place 24/7 with a temporary speed limit while the work is ongoing.

SH3 Te Mapara (between Piopio and Te Kūiti): Drainage works followed by a road rebuild has started and expected to take 6 weeks. There will be stop/go traffic management in place along with speed restrictions from 7am to 7pm each day. The traffic management will remain in place overnight while the road rebuild is ongoing.

SH1/SH29 Piarere intersection: Work to install streetlight ducting is ongoing with shoulder closures and a reduced speed limit of 60km/h in place on all approaches to the Piarere roundabout. Drivers are asked to take extra care while these works are underway.

South Waikato

SH1 Tīrau to Waiouru (T2W) accelerated maintenance project: It’s been another successful week’s work on the T2W project, and here’s to more of that as we progress towards the end of its second and final season. Please note that there will be delays on SH1 that will vary according to the work being carried out, so you’ll need to allow extra time to complete your journey. Below, you’ll find underway and upcoming T2W work, plus other work occurring in the area.

Work starting next week

SH1 North of Tokoroa: 2 nights of chipsealing work is scheduled to begin on Monday 16 February on the Puriri Road and West Road intersections of SH1. Work will take place from 6pm to 7am, under stop/go traffic management. Outside of these hours, temporary speed limits will be in place.

SH1 Ātiamuri to Wairākei: The remaining T2W chipsealing work in this area is scheduled for Wednesday 18 February near Tutukau Road, from 7pm and 6am, under stop/go traffic management. Outside of these working hours, the road will be open, with temporary speed restrictions throughout the work zone. Please note that additional road work will also be undertaken in this area.

SH1 Desert Road: The final asphalt layer on the 2 northern sites on the Desert Road near Rangipō – Poutu and Puketarata Hill – is being undertaken at night under stop/go traffic management and is scheduled to be completed this Sunday 15 February.
From Sunday 15 February to Monday 9 March, the work will shift to 3 southern sites –Mangamate, Oturere and Mangatoetoe-nui. Due to the narrow road width in this area known as the 3 Sisters, it requires full overnight road closures. Work will take place from Sunday to Thursday nights, between 7pm and 6am. All north and southbound SH1 vehicles will be detoured via SH41 Tūrangi, SH47, SH4, SH49 to Waiouru and vice versa. Click here for the detour map.
In the event of weather delays, shifts will be rescheduled to the next suitable fine evening. In some cases, it may also go ahead on a Friday night to make up for the lost shift.
Daytime chipsealing is also programmed for the area between Oturere and Mangatoetoe-nui from Monday 16 to Friday 20 February. Stop/go traffic management will be in place from 6am to 7pm.

SH1 East Taupō Arterial: 2 nights of chipsealing work is scheduled to begin on Thursday 19 February. It will take place from 6pm to 7am, under stop/go traffic management. Outside of these hours, temporary speed limits will be in place. We’ll return to complete a week of overnight asphalting under stop/go at a later date still to be confirmed.

Work starting soon

SH1 Taupō: One night of resealing is to take place on Sunday 21 February between 6pm and 6am on SH1 between the SH1/SH5 Roundabout and the SH1/Anzac Memorial Drive Roundabout. While the work is underway there will be a southbound closure of SH1. Light vehicles can detour via Napier Road and Lake Terrace. Heavy vehicles will queue and then be escorted through once the work is complete.

SH1 Taupō to Tūrangi: Overnight stop/go will be in place from mid to late March to early April at the SH1/Kiko Road intersection, and from late March to early April on SH1 at Motuoapa.  

Taupō Event: ANZCO Foods Ironman New Zealand is taking place on Saturday 7 March. SH5 will be closed from 6am to 6pm between Wairakei and Reporoa as part of the cycle stage of the event. The alternative route for traffic between Taupō and Rotorua is via SH1 and SH30, through Ātiamuri and Horohoro. Broadlands Road as well as the Broadlands Road off-ramp onto East Taupō Arterial Road will be closed between 6am and 7pm. Cyclists training ahead of the event will be on the road so please drive with caution, reduce speed when approaching and passing cyclists and allow a minimum of 1.5 metres when overtaking.

Work underway

SH1 Lichfield: Bridge maintenance has started south of Lichfield near Fonterra and will continue until early March. There is stop/go traffic management in place 24/7, delays are to be expected.

SH32 Tihoi area: Until late April, Ventia will be doing maintenance on overhead powerlines, between Tihoi Mill Road and Whakamaru Road. There may be short periods of road closures to allow for cables to be hauled across the road.

SH32 Whakamaru Road: Day works started Wednesday 28 January and will be ongoing for 5 weeks. The work will take place between 6.30am and 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. There will be 2-way stop/go traffic management in place.

SH1 Tokoroa township: Work began on Tuesday 10 February on SH1/Mossop Road, including the intersection of SH1/SH32. Twelve night shifts are scheduled to take place here on Sunday to Thursday nights, between 7pm and 6am, under stop/go traffic management. Outside of these hours, the road will remain open, with temporary speed restrictions in place. If there’s a need to work the occasional Friday night due to weather delays, it will be updated on the electronic message boards and the NZTA Journey Planner. There will also be work taking place on a 100m section of SH32 at the intersection of SH1.

SH1 north of Putāruru: Crews will be completing road rebuilding at the SH1/SH28 Whites Road intersection north of Putāruru, in a week-long rebuild scheduled to begin at the end of February. There’s additional maintenance and road rebuilding planned on SH28 itself and at the SH28/SH5 intersection; enabling work for this started on Monday 9 February. Work will be Monday to Saturday, between 6am and 6pm, using stop/go traffic management. This will be followed by road rebuilding that will require 24/7 traffic management. Asphalting will then be completed in early March using overnight stop/go traffic management, Sunday to Thursday, between 7pm and 6am.

SH1 Motuoapa: Additional to T2W, a road rebuild is progressing on a 650m section of SH1 through Motuoapa and is scheduled to continue until Thursday 5 March. Traffic management is in place 24/7, but work is occurring only from 6am till 7pm, with one lane open at all times and stop/go traffic management. A reduced speed environment, pedestrian restrictions and limited parking apply within the active work area.

SH5/SH28 Harwoods Road: Daytime stop/go is in place weekdays 6am-6pm as work continues on the roundabout being built at this intersection east of Tīrau. For 4 nights next week, from Monday 16 February, there will be some night-time stop/go for final pavement building. The roundabout will be completed in March.

SH49 Volcanic Loop Highway: Day works have restarted between 6.30am and 6.30pm each day near Tangiwai. There is stop/go traffic management in place with a temporary reduced speed limit. The work will be ongoing for 4 weeks. Journey planner location

East Waikato

SH29 Hamilton to Tauranga: Due to the number of worksites on SH29 between Hinuera and Tauriko, please allow up to 20 minutes extra time for travel. Check the NZTA Journey Planner for the latest travel information and journey times before starting your journey: journeys.nzta.govt.nz

Coromandel
Cleanup and recovery work is continuing around the Coromandel and on SH2 through the Karangahake Gorge following the January storms.
There are more than 20 sites along SH25 and through the Karangahake Gorge needing significant repairs, and several will remain reduced to a single lane until that work is done.
Our recovery team is working at speed to design the repairs needed and prioritise the works. We expect to have work underway at the most urgent sites by the beginning of March, once designs, consenting and other approvals have been completed.
All these sites will continue to be closely monitored.
In the meantime, anyone travelling around the Coromandel or through Karangahake Gorge is advised to allow plenty of extra time for their journey, and to expect traffic management and speed restrictions at a number of locations.
This includes on SH2 in the gorge, and on SH25 (a 2 kilometre stretch at Pumpkin Hill) north of Tairua and on Kuaotunu hill near the saddle.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi thanks the Coromandel community and visitors for their patience while we go about restoring full access to SH25 and through the Karangahake Gorge.

Work starting next week

SH29 Hinuera: A road rebuild will start on Monday 16 February between 7am and 6pm on SH29 between SH27 and Rangitanuku Road. The work is due to be completed by Thursday 5 March.  There will be stop/go traffic management in place with delays of up to 15 minutes.

SH29 Hopkins Road intersection, Hinuera: 2 nights of asphalting will take place at night on Monday 16 and Tuesday 17 of February between 8pm and 5am.  There will be stop/go traffic management and a reduced speed limit in place. Delays are to be expected.

SH26 Morrinsville: 2 nights of asphalting will take place at night on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 of February between 8pm and 5am.  There will be stop/go traffic management and a reduced speed limit in place. Delays are to be expected. 

SH25A Kōpū Hikuai near Puketui Road: 2 nights of asphalting will take place at night on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 of February between 8pm and 5am.  There will be stop/go traffic management and a reduced speed limit in place. Delays are to be expected.

Work underway

SH25/SH2 near Mangatarata: SH25 traffic faces a short daytime detour for 2 weeks while a section of state highway is resurfaced near Mangatarata and work is carried out on the nearby Waitakaruru River Bridge. The work runs from Monday 9 to Friday 20 February, with the detour in place 8am to 5pm weekdays. The detour via SH2 and Pipiroa Road adds about 8 minutes to travel times. The road will reopen each evening and over the weekend of Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 February, with speed restrictions in place. Access for residents and emergency services will be maintained at all times. Contractors will be resurfacing a 1.7km section of the highway east of the SH2/25 roundabout, along with the bridge repairs.

North Waikato

Work starting next week

SH1 Nikau Road to Razorback Road: There will be stormwater maintenance from Sunday 15 to Thursday 19 February between 9pm and 5am. There will be a detour available via Beaver Road and via Pokeno interchange.

SH1 Dragway Road to Hampton Downs: There will be a full southbound closure for maintenance between 9pm and 5am from Tuesday 17 to Thursday 19 February. Traffic will still be able to travel southbound using one of the northbound lanes.

SH1 between Mercer Ferry Road and Hall Road including Koheroa Road overbridge: There will be full closures in both directions between Mercer Ferry Road and Hall Road, including Koheroa Road overbridge from Tuesday 17 February between 9pm and 5am.
All on and off-ramps at Mercer will remain open but traffic will not be able to travel across the overbridge. To travel to and from the township please follow the recommended detours:
To travel eastbound across Koheroa Road overbridge (away from the township), use SH1 Mercer northbound on-ramp and turn around at Pioneer Road southbound on-ramp to travel south. You can exit at Mercer to access the township (travel time 7 mins).
To travel westbound across Koheroa Road overbridge (towards the township), take SH1 Mercer southbound on-ramp and please travel south on SH1 and turn around at Hampton Downs. You can exit at Mercer to access Koheroa Road (travel time 13 mins).

SH2 McPherson Road to Pinnacle Hill Road: Stop/go traffic management will be in place from 9pm to 5am on Sunday 15 February. Newly laid chipseal will require aftercare treatment. Reduced speeds will be in place during the day and night.     

SH2 Monument and Dimmock Road: Stop/go traffic management will be in place from 9pm and 5am from Sunday 15 to Tuesday 27 February. Newly laid chipseal will require aftercare treatment. Reduced speeds will be in place during the day and night.

Waikato summer renewals map

The map below indicates worksites which may inpact your journeys this summer maintenance season.

More information

For more information on the Waikato state highway maintenance programme, contact us at waikatomaintenance@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/waikato-maintenance

View our state highway maintenance frequently asked questions.

For information about what’s happening with other infrastructure projects across the region please visit Waikato projects website