Canterbury state highway planned roadworks

Tuesday 9 December to Monday 15 December

8 December 2025

SH7 Lewis Pass repair work

Kia ora

Welcome to the latest Canterbury state highway planned roadworks update.

All roadworks will pause for the Christmas and New Year period, with contractors shutting down sites from midday Friday 19 December, returning early morning Monday 5 January. Long-term sites may have ongoing restrictions in place.

To stay up to date visit Journey Planner.

Information current as at 12.30pm on Monday 8 December 2025

SH1 Christchurch to Picton

SH1 north of Christchurch, near Cam River/Ruataniwha: Geotechnical investigations will take place on both sides of the highway from 8 December until 19 December. The work is off the highway, but temporary traffic management will include speed restrictions, shoulder closures, and lane shifts. Traffic management and machine delivery on the state highway will occur between 5am and 7.30am and 6.30pm and 9.30pm.

SH1 north of Cheviot at Downs Road, Spotswood: A road rebuild is taking place from 10 November to 17 December, from 6am to 6pm. During work hours Downs Road will be closed. Alternate access is via Sinclair or Phoebe Roads. Expect stop/go traffic management, a single lane closure, and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit.

SH1 Taimate: Pre-seal works will take place on Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 December from 6.30am to 7pm. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, and drivers can expect delays of up to 5 minutes.

SH1 Taylor River Bridge: Due to watermain upgrade works stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h temporary speed limit will be in place on SH1 at the Taylor River Bridge from Sunday 9 November to Thursday 11 December (Sunday to Thursday nights) between 7:30pm and 5:30am. Expect delays of up to 10 minutes.
Read the Marlborough District Council media release for more information.

SH1 Spring Creek roundabout

Night time resurfacing work will be carried out (weather permitting) on Sunday 7 and Monday 8 December between 7pm and 7am (finishing at 7am on Tuesday 9 December). Stop/go traffic management and a temporary speed limit will be in place. Expect delays of up to 10 minutes during work hours. Access to and from Ferry Road via State Highway 1 will be closed. A detour will be in place via Tuamarina: use Blind Creek Road, Thomas Road, Neal Road, Chaytors Road, Bothams Bend Road and Ferry Road (or vice versa). Heavy vehicles can reach the Spring Creek industrial area via Gouland Road.

Read our traffic bulletin for more information

SH1 Christchurch to Dunedin

SH76 Christchurch Southern Motorway: Night works will run from 29 October to 18 December, 7pm to 5am. Crews are adding 4.6 km of barrier and maintenance bays between Wrights Road and Halswell Junction Road. No delays are expected.

SH1 Rolleston at the intersection with Dunns Crossing Road:  Entry to Dunns Crossing Road from SH1 will remain closed for up to two weeks, reopening for the Christmas break.

SH1 between Dunns Crossing Road and Burnham: Chip sealing and road marking will take place until 14 December. Some work will run under stop/go traffic lights. A 30 km/h temporary speed limit will apply during the day from 2 to 14 December.

SH1 at the Heslerton Road intersection: Resurfacing work will take place from 14 to 16 December near the Synlait Milk Factory. On Sunday 14 December, traffic management will include a lane closure on SH1 with stop/go in place, and delays of up to 10 minutes are expected. Parkins Road will be closed with no access to or from the state highway. Access to the rail crossing and Synlait from State Highway 1 will be closed from 7pm to 5.30am. On Monday 15 December, three-way manual traffic control will be in place on SH1 and Heslerton Road, and Parkins Road will remain closed.

SH1 Rakaia to Timaru: Pavement and surfacing repairs will take place at various locations on weekdays from 7am to 6pm. The sites will operate under daytime stop/go traffic management with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit. Expect delays of up to 20 minutes.

SH1 Timaru, Evans Street/Grants Road: Taitarakihi Culvert replacement works are continuing. Crews have moved to the western side of the highway. Access to Grants Road will be closed 24 hours a day during this stage. Please use alternative side streets to reach SH1. (See map below)

SH1 Makikihi to Glenavy: Pavement and surfacing repairs will take place on weekdays from 7am to 6pm. Stop/go traffic management and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place. Expect delays of around 5 minutes.

SH1 Pukeuri: A road rebuild is underway until 19 December, 7 days a week, 6am to 4pm. Stop/go and lane shifts are in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit. Expect delays of up to 15 minutes. 

SH1 Kakaho Creek: Preparation work for a road rebuild will take place from 8 to 19 December, Monday to Friday, 6am to 7pm. Expect delays of around 5 minutes.

SH1 Bushey Park (near Palmerston): Preparation work for a road rebuild is being carried out from 8 to 19 December, 6am to 7pm. Expect delays of around 5 minutes. 

SH1 Palmerston to Dunedin: Road repairs will take place from 8 to 12 December, Monday to Friday, 6am to 7pm. Expect delays of around 5 minutes.

SH1 Timaru, Evans Street/Grants Road:

Taitarakihi Culvert replacement works are continuing. Crews have moved to the western side of the highway. Access to Grants Road will be closed 24 hours a day during this stage. Please use alternative side streets to reach SH1.

Key state highways across the Canterbury Region

SH7 between Hope River and Lewis Pass: Chip sealing will take place on 12 and 13 December. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and short delays expected.

SH73 Castle Hill, Craigieburn and Starvation Gully: Chip sealing work will take place on 16 and 17 December. Stop/go traffic management and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place, with delays of around 10 minutes.

SH74 Tunnel Road: The tunnel road from the Ferry Road roundabout, including the Port Loop onramp from Port Hills Road, will be closed for asphalt paving from 8 to 11 December, 9pm to 5am each night. Local road detours will be in place.

SH75 Halswell Road, between Dunbars Road and Curletts Road: Work continues on the improvements project, particularly between Augustine Drive/Monsaraz Boulevard and Curletts Road. Please follow signage and the 30 km/h speed limit through the work area.

SH76 Brougham Street (Colombo to Durham Street): Asphalt work will be completed overnight on 11 December from 6pm-5am. Crews will use contraflow (this means traffic is moved onto one side of the road so vehicles can keep going in both directions while work happens on the other side). Cones and signs will separate traffic and guide drivers safely.

SH77 Rakaia Gorge: On 11 December SCRIM (Sideway-force Coefficient Routine Investigation Machine) will be working across the whole of the Rakaia Gorge. SCRIM collects data on skid resistance, surface texture, roughness, and rutting, the grooves that form in the road over time. 

SH79 Geraldine to Fairlie: Night and day works will continue in this area until 11 December. Expect delays of up to 15 minutes. Watercutting will take place at night under a mobile operation, and pavement repairs will happen during the day under stop/go traffic management with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit. This work is weather dependent and may be rescheduled at short notice. Please take care at unattended sites where temporary speed limits remain in place.

SH82 Hakataramea Highway (Waimate to Ikawai): Pavement and surfacing repairs will continue until 18 December, weekdays from 8am to 5pm. The sites will operate under daytime stop/go with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit. This work is weather dependent and may be rescheduled at short notice. Some sites may be unattended, with temporary speed limits in place.

SH82 Waihao North River Bridge: Work to replace the bridge is underway. Crews are installing a temporary bridge next to the Waihao North River Bridge. A 30 km/h temporary speed limit is in place. The Bridge is now reduced to one lane.

SH82 Station Peak to Kurow: Fibre installation is underway with stages of stop/go traffic management and temporary speed limits. Work will take place on weekdays from 7am to 6pm until 12 December. Expect short delays of up to 5 minutes.

SH85 Meadowbank to Glenpark: Rehabilitation work will take place across various locations from 15 September to 19 December, 6am to 7pm. Expect stop/go and temporary speed limits.

More information

Please be aware that there may be other less disruptive state highway works not listed in this newsletter. Work is often weather dependant and can be postponed and rescheduled.

Check for traffic updates on Journey Planner

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

Visit our Canterbury State Highway Maintenance website 

For information on West Coast and Alpine Passes state highway maintenance, visit our website where you can sign up for the West Coast and Alpine Passes newsletter