Manawatū-Whanganui state highway planned roadworks

Saturday 20 December to Friday 9 January

19 December 2025

Photo: The completed rebuild at Rewa on SH54.

Kia ora,

Welcome to the latest Manawatū-Whanganui state highway planned roadworks update.

NZTA is easing summer travel by pausing works from midday today to 5 January.

While no active work is planned over the Christmas/New Year period, some sites will remain under temporary speed limits. Please stick to these limits for your safety and the safety of others on the road.

This is our final update for the year, with the next one coming out on 9 January. Some road maintenance works planned for early January have been included in this update to help you plan ahead.

Some of our state highways will be busy with traffic this summer, so give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination. A good tool is our Holiday Journey Planner, which provides estimates of busy and peak traffic times on state highways based on previous measures of traffic volumes. 

NZTA Holiday Journey Planner

Please watch your speed and be patient on your journey. Do the simple things like plan ahead and take regular breaks if travelling long distances.

We wish everyone happy holidays and safe travels this festive season.

Roadworks week of 5 January

State highways with scheduled works the week of 5 January:

• SH1 north of Taihape
• SH1 Levin
• SH2 Mangatainoka
• SH3 Palmerston North
• SH4 Raetihi
• SH57 Levin

Before you travel on our state highways, check Journey Planner or Facebook for the latest information.

Dates in this update may change at short notice due to weather or other unforeseen factors, and other less disruptive state highway works may not be listed in this newsletter.

Information current as at 9am on Friday 19 December 2025.

State Highway 1

SH1 north of Taihape: Road rebuild works will take place near the intersection of Spooners Hill Road. Works are planned from Tuesday 6 January to Wednesday 28 January, 6am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday. Stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h speed limit will be in place, with delays of up to 10 minutes.

SH1 Levin: Night-time sealing is planned for SH1, north of Levin near Heatherlea East Road. Works are planned from Monday 5 January to Thursday 8 January, 6pm to 6am. Stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h speed limit will be in place, with delays of up to 10 minutes. More information.

State Highway 2

SH2 Mangatainoka: Road rebuild and drainage works will take place at Mangatainoka, near the Ruawhata Road. Works are planned from Tuesday 6 January to Friday 30 January, 6am to 6pm. Stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h speed limit will be in place, with delays of up to 5 minutes. More information.

State Highway 3

SH3 Palmerston North: Night-time asphalt resurfacing will take place at the intersection of SH3 Main Street and Princess Street, in Palmerston North. Works are planned from Tuesday 6 January to Friday 9 January, 6pm to 6am. During the 3 nights, the intersection will be fully closed. All traffic will be detoured via Church Street to Victoria Avenue and Broadway Avenue. Please follow detour signage. The road will be open outside of work hours. More information.

Nearby, road repairs are planned for Main Street, including the entry and exit to the bus shelter. This is Palmerston North City Council works. More information about PNCC works.

State Highway 4

SH4 Raetihi: Road rebuild and drainage works will take place on Parapara Road, Raetihi, between Seddon Street and Alexandra Road. Works are planned from Tuesday 6 January to Tuesday 3 February, 6am to 6pm. Stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h speed limit will be in place, with delays of up to 15 minutes. More information.

Upcoming bridge closures – SH43 Pongahuru Stream Bridge

The Pongahuru Stream Bridge on State Highway 43 (SH43) will be closed to agricultural and heavy vehicles on the following dates:

• 7am, 14 January to 6pm, 17 January 2026
• 7am, 22 January to 6pm, 25 January 2026

Cars and other light vehicles can still use the bridge during these times.

On the first day of each closure, crews will pour a new concrete deck on one lane of the bridge. The following days are needed to allow the concrete to set. The bridge needs to be closed to heavy vehicles to prevent vibrations that could damage the fresh concrete.

A signposted detour will be in place via SH4, Ohura Road, and Mangaparo Road. This will add about 17 minutes to travel time.

Stop/go controls remain in place at the bridge, with delays of up to 5 minutes. These will continue for light vehicles during the heavy vehicle closures. Please take care when driving across the bridge and follow all traffic management in place.

Once both lanes have new concrete, crews will finish strengthening work that has already started on the bridge. All work is expected to be completed by the end of February.

We understand that this closure will be an inconvenience for the local community and everyone who uses this stretch of road. We appreciate your patience and understanding while we complete this important work. More information.

Photo: See the detour route for agricultural and heavy vehicles below.

State Highway 57

SH57 Levin: Night-time sealing is planned for SH57, north of Levin near Wallace Road from Wednesday 7 January to Thursday 8 January, 6pm to 6am. Stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h speed limit will be in place, with delays of up to 10 minutes. More information.

Other works in January-February 2026

A range of resealing road maintenance sites are planned across our state highways this summer. After resealing works are complete on SH1 and SH57, crews plan to move to SH2 south of Norsewood. Second-coat seals for SH56 Opiki are also planned this summer following the rebuilds completed last season. Please follow temporary traffic management and expect delays.

Further road rebuilds are planned for SH1 near Foxton, SH57 near Shannon and asphalt resurfacing is planned for SH2 Woodville. Dates and temporary traffic management for these sites will be shared in the new year.

More information

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

Roadworks listed in this newsletter may be postponed due to rain or other factors that disrupt the weekly schedule.

Check the NZTA Journey Planner for the latest travel information and journey times before starting your journey: journeys.nzta.govt.nz.

For more information on the Manawatū-Whanganui state highway maintenance programme, contact us at info@nzta.govt.nz or via 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 444 449).

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/manawatu-whanganui-maintenance