Te Ara Tūtohu: Waitara to Bell Block

24 April 2025

Reminder: Section of State Highway 3 (SH3) Waitara to close from 28 April to 28 May

This is a reminder that SH3 from the Raleigh Street intersection to south of the Nelson Street intersection will be closed 24/7 from Monday 28 April to Wednesday 28 May while we rebuild this section of road.

A detour will be in place through Waitara via Raleigh Street, High Street West, Cracroft Street, McLean Street, and Nelson Street.

Homes and businesses will continue to be accessible during the closure. Emergency services will also be able to travel through the site.

To keep the detour route through Waitara safe for everyone we are putting temporary safety changes in place, including temporary speed limits.

Once the rebuild and Waitara Road roundabout are complete, work will start on the section of Raleigh Street between SH3 and Tate Road including turning it into a cul-de-sac, with access in and out via SH3.

Waitara Road access

During the northern rebuild access to Waitara Road will be impacted.

The left turn out of Waitara Road will remain open, but the right turn will be closed. There will also be no direct access to Waitara Road from SH3.

To travel north from Waitara Road or to access Waitara Road from SH3 an alternative route will be in place via Richmond Road and Kairau Road East.

Why we’re closing the road

We understand that this closure will be an inconvenience for the local community and everyone who uses this stretch of road.

We investigated if there were other options that didn’t involve road closures. Closing the road is the only option to complete this work safely and efficiently, without prolonged impact to traffic.

We ran a successful closure and detour through Waitara over the summer of 2023-2024 and are using what we learned from that experience, along with feedback we receive, to guide how these closures will work.

Safety during the detour

The detour will mean more traffic in Waitara, particularly during peak times.

To ensure the safety of Waitara residents and people using the road we will put in place temporary safety changes, including temporary speed limits.

The detour route will be closely monitored by traffic management crews and will be adjusted if necessary.

What you can do to help keep everyone safe:

• Stick to the temporary speed limits and keep an eye out for people walking and cycling.
• When out walking and cycling along the detour route, be aware of the increase in traffic and take extra care.
• Let your tamariki know there will be more cars and trucks on the road and encourage them to be extra careful and always cross at the dedicated crossing points.
• Report any issues or instances of poor driver behaviour to NZTA or NZ Police.  

Contacting us

If you have questions, concerns or suggestions about the planned closures and detours please let us know.

If you need to get in touch with us urgently at any point during the works, please phone the Fulton Hogan team on 027 304 4880.

For non-urgent queries please get in touch using the contact details below.

• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)
• Email: w2bb@nzta.govt.nz

Detour during the rebuild