Marlborough state highway planned roadworks

Saturday 20 December to early January 2026

19 December 2025

File photo: State Highway 1 over Weld Pass near Blenheim, showing the recently resurfaced road just before crews completed their work in early December.

Kia ora and welcome

Welcome to 2025's final Marlborough state highway planned roadworks update. We'll take a break over Christmas and New Year's, and expect to publish our next issue on January 9.

This weekly newsletter will keep you informed about what’s happening across the region’s state highways so you can plan ahead.

If you are travelling, remember to check Journey Planner for the latest updates on road conditions.

Please feel free to share this newsletter with whānau and friends, anyone can sign up to stay informed.

The information outlined below is current as at 11:50am on 19/12/2025.

Roadworks over the Christmas and New Year period

All non-essential roadworks will pause for the main holiday period, with contractors shutting down sites from midday Friday 19 December until Monday 5 January at the earliest.

You may still see some of our crews out on the roads repairing potholes, responding to incidents, or wrapping up essential work.

They're out there to help make sure your journeys are safe and smooth, so please give them space and patience so they can finish their work and get home to spend time with their families too.

SH1 Picton to Christchurch

SH1 Spring Creek (upcoming work)

A 1 kilometre section of highway north of Spring Creek will be rebuilt between Monday 12 January and the end of March. Work will run Mondays to Saturdays, from 7am to 6pm. Stop/go traffic management will be in place during work hours, and a 30 km/h speed limit will apply at all times. Drivers should expect delays of up to 10 minutes and allow extra time, especially if connecting with Picton ferries.

Read our Traffic Bulletin for more details

Holiday driving tips

With the holiday season upon us, we encourage you to stay safe on the roads. Here are simple steps everyone can take to ensure they reach their destinations safely.

• Watch your speed and following distances and always overtake safely.
• Always wear a seatbelt and ensure all your passengers are buckled up too.
• Always drive to the conditions. If the weather is bad, slow down, avoid sudden braking, and turn your headlights on if visibility is poor. Be safe, be seen.
• Never drive when tired. If you're on a long trip, take breaks to stay alert.
• Avoid distractions. Never use a cellphone while driving.
• Before you head away, check your vehicle and perform basic maintenance. Inspect tyres, lights, indicators, windscreen wipers, etc.
• Check the road conditions before you travel. Our holiday journey planner provides details on when traffic congestion will be at its worst. We urge you to use it to plan your trips and avoid busier travel periods.

Driving in the holidays

Vehicle safety

Holiday Journeys

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.