Ōtaki to north of Levin update – April 2024

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Muaūpoko Tribal Authority, local hapū of Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga and council partner Horowhenua District Council are working together to create a positive legacy for the region while we build a new, safer, efficient, and more reliable State Highway 1 from Ōtaki to north of Levin.

In this project newsletter we’ll give you an update on the safety improvement work at Manakau, an update on the safety improvements underway between Levin and Foxton and information about how you can have your say on the SH1 Kāpiti Expressway speed limit review. We also invite you to join the team at our upcoming Ō2NL project office open days.

Stop/go traffic management in place at Manakau Rail Overbridge from Sunday 5 May

Plan ahead for stop/go traffic management at the Manakau Rail Overbridge from Sunday 5 May

The Ōtaki to Ohau safety improvement project is now nearing completion, with all three turnaround facilities open and all side and median barriers installed. We have also made the Waikawa Beach Road/ State Highway 1 (SH1) intersection safer and installed a right turn bay into Atkins Road.

Work is now progressing south of the Manakau Rail Overbridge, where construction crews have installed painted hatched median south of the Whakahoro Road intersection and widened the highway in this area. 

We will soon begin works to install a right turn bay into Whakahoro Road. These infrastructure improvements will support vehicles turning right into and out of Whakahoro Road and driveways on the highway. This will be the final significant piece of work for this project.

Stop/go at Manakau Rail Overbridge
There will be 24/7 stop/ go temporary traffic management with a 30km/h speed limit in place at the Manakau Rail Overbridge from 8pm on Sunday 5 May– 5am on Thursday 9 May to complete these safety improvements.

There will be significant delays during peak travel times. These delays are expected to be up to 20 minutes. Where possible, we ask those who travel through this area to plan your journey with these works in mind.

While there will be delays and we appreciate this can be frustrating, without this stop/go traffic management, this work would take a lot longer, delaying the completion of the overall safety improvement project and causing longer disruptions to the highway.

We looked at other options to get this piece of work completed, however, to complete this work overnight would result in approximately two months of traffic disruptions and delays. In this case, short term stop/ go traffic management over this period is more efficient and less disruptive for road users.

Thank you for your patience with other road users and the construction crews working to make this section of State Highway 1 safer.

Levin to Foxton safety improvement progressing well

Levin to Foxton safety improvement update

There’s great progress being made on the safety improvements between Levin and Foxton. We’ve started work on two turnaround facilities – one at the southern entry to Foxton and another at the intersection of Oturoa Road. Both are currently ahead of schedule.

By the middle of this year, we will have installed a median barrier along the whole stretch between the two turnaround facilities.  Once the barrier is in place, the turnaround facilities, along with an existing one under the Manawatū River Bridge, will provide safe places for you to turn around on the road.

Take a look at our latest information sheet for more information about the project.

Come along to one of our Ō2NL project office open days to speak with the team about the projects happening in your area.

Project office open day tomorrow - Tuesday 23 April

Our next project office open days are:

• Tomorrow, Tuesday 23 April from 1pm to 5pm
• Thursday 23 May from 1pm to 5pm.

Please join us at 171 Oxford Street, Levin to speak with the team about the new highway project, the new Tararua Road roundabout and the safety improvement projects in your area.

If you'd like to chat with the team between events, you can email us at O2NL@nzta.govt.nz or phone 0508 625 4636.

Kāpiti Expressway — Have your say

We’re proposing a new speed limit on the Kāpiti Expressway, from north of the Poplar Avenue interchange at Raumati, to south of the Ōtaki northern interchange.

This section of the Kāpiti Expressway, currently has a speed limit of 100km/h. We’re keen to hear what you think about the proposal to increase the speed limit to 110km/h.

We’re committed to delivering new and safe roads that help people get where they need to go, efficiently and safely. The section of Kāpiti Expressway being consulted on was designed and constructed to a high safety standard, which means that we can consider an increased speed limit.

For more information and to have your say, head to nzta.govt.nz/kapitispeed

More information

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/o2nl to find out about our work in the corridor or check out:

• www.nzta.govt.nz/o2nl-proposed-new-highway for information on the new highway, or
• www.nzta.govt.nz/o2nl-safe-speeds, to find out more about speed, or
• www.nzta.govt.nz/o2nl-safer-roads-and-roadsides to find out more about the work to make our existing roads and roadsides safer.

Our email newsletters will let you know when there is new information on our website.

Do you know people who want to know more? They can subscribe here.

For more information on the Ōtaki to north of Levin programme, contact us at O2NL@nzta.govt.nz or call 0508 625 4636.