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Marlborough Roads Recovery Update |
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26 March 2026 |
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This Week's Summary |
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This week construction progressed across the Marlborough Roads Recovery network in the Awatere, French Pass, Kenepuru, Port Underwood, Waihopai Valley and on Queen Charlotte Drive. Daytime construction closures are in place on Kenepuru and Torea roads. The Kenepuru Road closure is in place from the Mahau Road intersection to Portage Bay, a length of approximately 14km. Surveilllance has identified suspicious activity at several Marlborough Roads Recovery construction sites. We encourage anyone who notices anything unusual to please contact us. There will be no recovery works operating over the Easter holiday. Works will stop at 12pm on Thursday 2 April, prior to Good Friday and will resume as scheduled from Tuesday 7 April. --------------------------------------------------- On Awatere Valley Road, near the Upcot Saddle, crews are completing the installation of a second box culvert. In the French Pass work continues at five sites across Ronga Road, Croisilles and Croisilles-French Pass roads. This week, excavation, culvert installation, and road stabilisation work is underway. In Tennyson Inlet, on Archers Road, work has paused until road preparation and sealing starts on Monday 30 March under a road closure. In the Kenepuru, between Linkwater and the Heads, construction is currently underway at:
Work has been completed on Te Mahia Road and continues under a construction closure on Torea Road. Approximately 17km from the start of Northbank Road work has paused until Monday 13 April when culvert installations and rock scaling will be completed under a construction closure. In Port Underwood, on Tumbledown Bay Road, crews have completed minor repair work and will establish near Tom Caines Bay for a road retreat in the coming weeks. Crews are continuing slip repairs on Queen Charlotte Drive above Moenui Road, and completing drainage improvements near the Grove Jetty. On Monday 30 March crews will resume work on Archers Road under a construction closure to complete pavement and road sealing. Crews have established approximately 16km from the start of Waihopai Valley Road for drainage improvements. 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. Continue reading for information on:
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Upcoming Road Closures |
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Kenepuru Road - Nikau Cove to the Heads From Tuesday 7 April to the end of August, construction closures are planned on Kenepuru Road between Nikau Cove and the Kenepuru Heads Campsite. This closure was previously scheduled to start on Monday 30 March, but has been delayed due to resources now required at other work sites in the Kenepuru. The closures are required for retreat excavation and drainage work. The closures will be in place on weekdays at the below times:
Work will be undertaken outside of these days and times, under stop/go traffic management with delays of up to 15 minutes. Please note there will also be a closure on the Linkwater side of Portage. During the 11am and 2.30pm openings, crews will ensure traffic does not get stuck between the closures. -------------------------------------------------- Archers Road - Tennyson Inlet From Monday 30 March to Thursday 2 April a road closure will be in place on Archers Road approximately 1km from the start of the road. The closure is required to complete pavement preparation and sealing, and will be in place:
If works are delayed due to weather or unforeseen circumstances, Tuesday 7 April will be a contingency day. -------------------------------------------------- Northbank Road - 17km from the start From Monday 13 April until Friday 24 April a construction closure will resume on Northbank Road approximately 17km from the start of the road. The closure is required for culvert installation and rock scaling on the following days and times:
Outside of these times unattended traffic lights will remain in place with delays of up to 5 minutes. -------------------------------------------------- Awatere Valley Road - at Awapiri From Monday 13 April to late May, a closure will be in place on Awatere Valley Road at Awapiri. The site is located approximately 2km up the valley from Jordan River Bridge or 12km down the valley from Hodder River Bridge. The closure is required for the construction of a road retreat, concrete channel and pavement construction. The closure will be in place on Mondays to Fridays from 9am to 2.30pm. From 7am to 9am and 2.30pm to 5pm traffic lights will be in place with delays of up to 15 minutes. Outside of these times, overnight and on weekends, the site will remain under traffic lights with delays of up to 5 minutes. -------------------------------------------------- To view current closure locations, please visit the CDEM map. Changes to planned road closures will be sent via Antenno. Sign up to Antenno here. If you have any concerns, please contact recovery@marlboroughroads.com. |
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Awatere Valley Road |
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Work continues on Awatere Valley Road to complete three culvert replacements and other drainage improvements. This week crews are finishing the backfilling and rock protection required for the second culvert. This site is under stop/go traffic management with delays of up to 15 minutes. Next week, crews plan to establish at a third culvert site, approximately 23km from the start of the road. |
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Culvert installation on Awatere Valley Road |
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French Pass |
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On Ronga Road, at three adjacent sites, approximately 11.5km from the SH6 turnoff, crews are progressing a culvert installation and rock breaking work for the road retreats, prior to pavement preparation. A ground beam has been installed on Croisilles Road, approximately 4.2km before the Hope Drive/Wharf Road intersection. This week crews continue to backfill, drill and grout anchors in place, and install inclined drains. On Croisilles-French Pass Road, approximately 2km before the Elaine Bay intersection rock breaking and shoulder widening have been completed. Crews have now established at a new site approximately 2.2km before the Elaine Bay Road intersection to begin a road retreat. All sites in the French Pass are under stop/go traffic management with delays of up to 15 minutes at each site. |
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Installed culvert and gully fill on Ronga Road |
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Ground beam installation on Croisilles-French Pass Road |
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Kenepuru |
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A construction closure is in place on Kenepuru Road from the Mahau Road intersection to Portage Bay, a length of approximately 14km. The following closure times apply until Friday 24 April:
This closure continues to allow multiple road repairs to be completed concurrently and safely. Gates are in place at each end of the closure and at working sites. Outside of the closure times, stop/go traffic management may be in place with delays of up to 15 minutes. Traffic management will ensure that vehicles do not get stuck between closure points during the opening times. For the 3pm opening on Mondays to Thursdays vehicles must be waiting at the closure gates no later than 3.04pm to be safely escorted through by a tail vehicle. It is important to stay within the convoy, as any vehicles that stop or pull over will unfortunately be stuck within the closure until 5pm. --------------------------------------------------- Work occurring at sites within the Kenepuru Road closure this week includes:
Please refer to the image below for the locations of sites operating within the Kenepuru Road closure this week. --------------------------------------------------- On Kenepuru Road, approximately 1km past the Linkwater turn-off, crews are continuing the installation of a box culvert. This site is operating under traffic lights with delays of up to 15 minutes. On Moetapu Bay Road, approximately 3km from the start of the road crews have completed a retreat. They have now moved to a new site, approximately 4km from the start of the road to backfill and stabilise an under slip. Drainage improvement work on Te Mahia Road has been completed and crews have disestablished from site. They plan to return in the next fortnight to seal the road, pending weather and appropriate ground conditions. --------------------------------------------------- Minor retreat and drainage improvements have been postponed on Lawrence Road and will now start on Monday 30 March. --------------------------------------------------- Drainage improvements continue on Torea Road under a road closure on:
This week, the crews are completing a culvert installation. --------------------------------------------------- From Tuesday 7 April until late August, a road closure will be in place on Kenepuru Road from Nikau Cove to the Heads on the below days and times:
The closure is required for the installation of a retaining wall, drainage improvements and a road retreat. Work will be undertaken outside of these days and times, under stop/go traffic management with delays of up to 15 minutes. A closure is also in place on the Linkwater side of Portage at the same time. For the 11am and 2.30pm openings, crews will ensure traffic does not get stuck between the closures. |
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Current Kenepuru Road closure and site locations |
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Excavation for box culvert installation on Kenepuru Road |
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Retreat excavation on Moetapu Bay Road |
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Pavement preparation on Kenepuru Road |
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Completed drainage channel on Te Mahia Road |
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Northbank |
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Approximately 17km from the start of Northbank Road crews have completed excavation works and disestablished from site. This site continues to operate under traffic lights with delays of up to 5 minutes due to the risk of rock fall from above the road. A closure will resume from Monday 13 April until Friday 24 April for culvert installation and rock scaling work. This closure will be in place on the same days and times as the previous closure.
Outside of these times unattended traffic lights will remain in place with delays of up to 5 minutes. -------------------------------------------- Work continues on the replacement of the Gillespie Bridge on Cat Creek Road. This week, the crew is pouring the final abutment to provide structural support for each end of the bridge. |
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Gillespies Bridge progress on Cat Creek Road |
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Port Underwood |
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Crews have completed slip repairs and drainage improvements along Tumbledown Bay Road. This week they continue final assessments of the work prior to establishing near Tom Caines Bay to complete a road retreat. |
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Queen Charlotte Drive |
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On Queen Charlotte Drive above Moenui Road, crews have removed up to 800 cubic metres of soil to clear an over slip. This week they are installing matting to stabilise the slope face. On Queen Charlotte Drive near the Grove Jetty, crews continue to work on drainage improvements after completing the retaining wall. This week they are installing a culvert, prior to dish channel and pavement preparation. Stop/go traffic management is in place at both sites with delays of up to 15 minutes. |
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Slip excavation on Queen Charlotte Drive |
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Subsoil drainage installation on Queen Charlotte Drive near the Grove Jetty |
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Tennyson Inlet |
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On Archers Road, Tennyson Inlet, approximately 1km from the start of the road, the site remains open to one lane, under priority give way with a 30km speed limit. From Monday 30 March until Thursday 2 April this site will operate under a road closure, allowing crews to complete pavement preparation and seal the road. The following days and times will apply for this closure:
If works are delayed due to weather or unforeseen circumstances, Tuesday 7 April will be a contingency day. |
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Waihopai Valley |
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Crews have started drainage repairs approximately 16km from the start of Waihopai Valley Road. This week they are installing the first of three culverts. This site is under stop/go traffic management with delays of up to 15 minutes. |
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Kenepuru Road restrictions |
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Kenepuru Road is open to the public, with overweight and overlength vehicle restrictions in place. Reduced speed limit signage and temporary traffic lights are in place at Portage Heights and approximately 500m beyond Nikau Cove (when travelling from Portage). Both sites have a 30km temporary speed limit in place. Please expect minor delays and follow all traffic management signage. Vehicle restrictions remain on Kenepuru Road from Linkwater to the Heads as follows: Vehicle RestrictionsVehicles up to 12.6m in length, and 6 tonne in weight can travel on Kenepuru Road and side roads. To apply for a permit for an over dimension vehicle to travel on Kenepuru Road, email recovery@marlboroughroads.com or call 0800 213 213. There are the following hazards on this section of Kenepuru Road and its side roads including Moetapu Bay Road:
Other recovery roadsPlease be aware that on all roads, works may be in progress and/or traffic management in place. Please expect delays and follow all signage and traffic management. Heavy rain may lead to roads being closed at short notice. Regardless of the status of the road, please drive to the conditions. To check the status of a road before you travel, please visit the CDEM Map. |
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Further Information |
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Marlborough Roads 0800 213 213, between 9.00am - 4.00pm, Monday to Friday. For more information on the Marlborough Roads recovery project or to subscribe to this newsletter, contact us at recovery@marlboroughroads.com Visit our webpage: www.nzta.govt.nz/marlborough-roads-recovery For more information: For local roading alerts/updates go to Marlborough District Council's website Sign up to the Antenno App to receive notifications on your phone. Check the Civil Defence Emergency Management map for road access restrictions. If you require welfare support contact Marlborough District Council on 03 520 7400 or email recovery@marlborough.govt.nz If you require an overlength permit for vehicles over 12.6m to travel on Queen Charlotte Drive between Linkwater and Picton please email Marlborough Roads NZTA Office, 28 Alfred Street, Blenheim on MRoadsadmin@nzta.govt.nz |
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