Marlborough state highway planned roadworks

Saturday 25 October to Friday 31 October

24 October 2025

Kia ora and welcome

Kia ora,

Welcome to this week's issue of the Marlborough state highway planned roadworks update.

Most roadworks will pause over the upcoming long weekends to coincide with expected increased holiday traffic. This helps reduce disruption and delays for drivers over the holiday weekend.

Contractors will shut down sites from midday today, Friday 24 October, returning early morning Tuesday 28 October, for the Labour weekend holiday period. Long-term sites may have ongoing restrictions in place.

On Marlborough Anniversary weekend (next weekend), contractors will shut down sites from midday Friday 31 October, returning early morning Tuesday 4 November.

Weather impact on upcoming roadworks

After a wild day of fierce winds, fallen trees and the temporary closure of State Highway 1 between Ward and Christchurch due to the blustery conditions, our teams remain committed to progressing scheduled works. However, recent weather events may mean delays at some sites. Thank you for your understanding as we adapt to these changing conditions.

Ensure you check Journey Planner for the latest updates on road conditions before you travel.

The information outlined below is current as at 12:30pm on 24/10/2025.

SH1 Picton to Christchurch

SH1 between Para and Speeds Roads (Koromiko)

Various work including sealing patching, road sweeping and line marking that was scheduled for completion today (Friday 24 October) will pause over the long weekend before recommencing on Tuesday 28 October until Friday 31 October between 6.30am and 6pm. Stop/go traffic management and a reduced speed limit will be in place during work hours. Expect delays of up to 5 minutes.

SH1 Hewsons Stream, south of the Conway River (North Canterbury)

Chipsealing will take place on Thursday 30 October from 6am to 6pm. Stop/go traffic management and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place. Expect short delays.

SH1 Carmen Road at Buchanans Road (Christchurch) 

Christchurch City Council is upgrading a major wastewater pipe from Sunday 26 October at 9 pm, working in 24-hour shifts until Tuesday 4 November. SH1 will be reduced to one lane in each direction, but traffic can continue straight through. Expect delays of 30 to 60 minutes. Suggested routes will be posted on SH1 Johns Road and SH1 Main South Road to help bypass the area. Read the Christchurch City Council Newsline article for more information.

Upcoming night closure of SH1 Hundalees 

SH1 Hundalees (from the Conway River to Oaro) will be closed for four nights from Tuesday 4 to Saturday 8 November between 9pm and 5am for resurfacing work. The road will reopen at midnight each night to let queued traffic through. Detour routes will be available (refer to maps below). The Inland Road route will add approximately 30 minutes to travel time. This detour is not suitable for heavy vehicles which must detour via SH7, SH65, SH6 and SH63.

Upcoming night closure of SH1 Weld Pass from 23 November

With the 2025-26 summer maintenance season well underway in Marlborough, State Highway 1 Weld Pass is next in line for road rebuilding work.

Night works are planned for Weld Pass from Sunday 23 November to Friday 5 December. Work will be carried out nightly between 7pm and 5am. There will be one opening each night at midnight to let queued traffic through the work area. The northbound lane will travel first, followed by the southbound lane.

Weld Pass must be closed to all traffic while the work is completed. It's a narrow road with limited space - resurfacing work and laying asphalt uses large machinery and it simply isn’t possible to allow traffic through the work site while work is underway

Roadworkers will lay just under 3,500 m2 of asphalt to strengthen the road surface of Weld Pass. This will include milling/removing the old surface, before adding new layers. They will make the most of the closure by carrying out other maintenance work including culvert works, clearing drainage and attending to signage and vegetation.

This work's similar to servicing your car or repainting your house -regular maintenance prevents bigger problems down the track.

Read our media release for more information.

SH6 Blenheim to Nelson

SH6 Whangamoa Saddle 

Resilience works continue between Rai Valley and Hira. Stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h reduced speed limit is in place 24/7 (with the exception of Labour weekend). There are five sites to complete as part of this project, however only one site will be worked on at a time to minimise disruption. Plan ahead for delays of up to 10 minutes when travelling between Nelson and Blenheim while this work is underway.

Read our traffic bulletin for more information.

Upcoming night closure of SH6 Whangamoa Saddle from 9 November

We’ll be closing State Highway 6 Whangamoa Saddle, between Rai Valley and Hira for three weeks of night time resurfacing and maintenance works in November as our top of the south summer roadworks continue. The closure will be in place from Sunday 9 until Friday 28 November, Sunday to Thursday nights between 8pm and 5:30am.

We'll reopen the road once a night to let traffic through. If you want to travel overnight you’ll need to be at the closure points - the weighbridge in Hira, and on the Rai Valley straight at Rai Engineering & Mechanical, by 12:30 am. Please plan carefully to ensure you meet this schedule.

It’s important we complete these works as quickly and as safely as possible which is why we’ve planned this work to be carried out at night, when there are fewer vehicles using the road. During the closure roadworkers will reseal sections of the highway, clear drainage, replace a culvert, carry out resilience improvements, and other general maintenance work to ensure the road is in good shape before the summer holidays.

We know this will be disruptive but given the narrowness of the road and the heavy equipment being used for resurfacing, the highway must be closed to keep you and roadworkers safe. If you want to travel between Blenheim and Nelson overnight you can detour via State Highway 63 and St Arnaud. This will add an extra 45 minutes to travel times.

Read our media release for more information.

SH63 Renwick to Kawatiri Junction

SH63 Andersons Bridge

Andersons Bridge will continue to operate under single lane priority give way (like a one-way bridge) until Friday 31 October. Guardrail installation is scheduled to be completed today and road sealing is planned for Wednesday 29 October, weather permitting. Next week some shoulder works will also be completed and the bypass, that was used during the bridge construction, will be removed. A reduced temporary speed limit remains in place until all work is completed.

SH63 Wairau Valley East

Work to rebuild a 1.3 kilometre section of State Highway 63, on the Renwick side of the Wairau Valley township continues until Friday 12 December. Stop/go traffic management will be in place between 7am and 6pm, Mondays to Saturdays. A 30 km/h temporary speed limit will remain in place 24/7. Plan ahead for delays of up to 10 minutes at this site during work hours.

Read our traffic bulletin for more information.

Please note there will be stop/go traffic management in place at multiple locations on State Highway 63 over the next four weeks as we carry out minor storm damage repairs. Expect short delays while this work is underway.

SH1 Lindens Crossing completed ahead of schedule

Our team recently completed work on State Highway 1, Lindens Crossing – between Koromiko and Picton.

This marks the first of many road rebuilding projects across the Marlborough region this summer.

During the project crews worked 24/7 to get the job done. Up to 400 tonnes of asphalt was laid each night, making the road stronger smoother and safer ahead of the upcoming holiday period.

Working day and night shifts, the team completed the project safely and ahead of schedule – despite facing some challenging, wet spring weather.

Their planning, professionalism, and collaboration ensured traffic delays were kept under 10 minutes throughout the entirety of the project.

Rebuilding the road involves replacing structural road layers beneath the surface. This work isn’t always visible, especially once the asphalt has been laid, but it is essential in improving the safely, resilience and longevity of the state highway network.

Thank you for your patience while we completed this project. With more work like this planned over the coming months, please remember our crews are working hard to keep the roads safe, and keep you moving. Your patience and care when driving through our worksites makes a real difference.

The images below show work underway during the recent road rebuild of State Highway 1, Lindens Crossing

More information

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

All work is subject to weather and other unforeseen circumstances. In the event of unsuitable conditions, work will be rescheduled to the next suitable workday.

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

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/sh-maintenance-programme/marlborough

For information on Nelson/Tasman, or Canterbury state highway maintenance,  where you can sign up for newsletters that cover other regions.