Manawatū-Whanganui state highway planned roadworks

Saturday 24 January to Friday 30 January

23 January 2026

Kia ora,

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

Below is this week’s list of upcoming planned works on state highways in the region.

Some of our state highways are busy with traffic this summer, so give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination, and keep up to date with planned works via Journey Planner.  

Upcoming roadworks

State highways with scheduled works this week:

• SH1 north of Taihape
• SH2 Makirikiri Bridge, Mangamaire, and Mangatainoka
• SH3 Whakarongo
• SH4 Raetihi
• SH43 Taumarunui
• SH56 Opiki

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 12pm on Friday 23 January 2026.

State Highway 1

SH1 north of Taihape: Road rebuild works are underway near the intersection of Spooners Hill Road. Works are ongoing until Monday 2 February, 6am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday. Stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h speed limit is in place, with delays of up to 25 minutes at peak travel times. More information. 

SH1 Foxton: Road rebuild and drainage works will take place near the intersection of Wall Road from Tuesday 10 February to Friday 13 March. Work will run from 6pm to 6am under stop/go traffic management, with 5-minute delays expected.

State Highway 2

SH2 Mangatainoka: Road rebuild and drainage works are underway at Mangatainoka, near the Ruawhata Road. Works are ongoing until Tuesday 3 February, 6am to 6pm. Stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h speed limit is in place, with delays of up to 5 minutes. More information.

SH2 Makirikiri Bridge: Patch repairs will take place on Makirikiri Bridge south of Dannevirke from Tuesday 27 January to Saturday 31 January. Work will run from 6pm to 6am under a mixture of stop/go and stop/stop traffic management, with delays of up to 20 minutes expected. 

SH2 Mangamaire: Maintenance work is underway at the SH2/Tutaekara Road intersection until 6pm on Friday 23 January. Stop/go traffic management is in place with delays of up to 10 minutes.

SH2 Woodville: Asphalt resurfacing works are planned for Vogel Street, Woodville from Sunday 8 February to Monday 16 March 2026. This work will be completed in 2 phases, under a full night-time closure, 6pm to 6am. Expect changing traffic management and detour routes, including during the day. More information. 

State Highway 2 - Upcoming road closure for Woodville

Asphalt resurfacing works for SH2 Vogel Street, Woodville, are taking place from Sunday 8 February to Monday 16 March 2026. This work will be completed in 2 phases with changing temporary traffic management and detour routes, including during the day. 

Phase 1:

• From Sunday 8 February to Tuesday 24 February from 6pm to 6am, works will be underway on SH2 between Ross Street and McLean Street.
• During this time, road users (cars and other light vehicles) will detour using Tay Street to Station Street, back to SH2. 
• Traffic management will change during the day. From 6am to 6pm, northbound traffic will travel through the worksite on SH2. All southbound traffic will continue to use the detour.

The detour for all freight and heavy vehicles is: SH3 to Woodlands Road to Oxford Road to Pinfold Road back to SH2. This will be in place 24/7 for 5 weeks for the duration of the works. Temporary traffic lights and a temporary 10km/h speed limit will be in place at the Oxford Road bridge.

Further information about phase 2 will be provided in future updates closer to the time.

Photo: The light vehicle detour route for phase 1 of the SH2 Woodville works.

State Highway 3

SH3 Whakarongo: A road rebuild will take place on SH3 between Roberts Line and Stoney Creek Road from Sunday 25 January to Thursday 5 February. Night works will run Sunday to Friday from 6pm to 6am, with a daytime shift expected between 9am and 3pm on Monday 2 February. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, and delays of up to 10 minutes are expected.

State Highway 4

SH4 Raetihi: Road rebuild and drainage works are underway on Parapara Road, Raetihi, between Seddon Street and Alexandra Road. Works are ongoing to Monday 9 February, 6am to 6pm. Stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h speed limit is in place, with delays of up to 15 minutes. More information.

State Highway 43

SH43, Taumarunui: Work on the Pongahuru Stream Bridge was delayed this week due to bad weather. The bridge will now be closed to agricultural and heavy vehicles from 7am Wednesday 28 January to 12pm on Saturday 31 January.

Cars and other light vehicles can still use the bridge during the closure. A signposted detour is in place via SH4, Ohura Road, and Mangaparo Road, adding about 17 minutes to travel time to and from Taumarunui. Stop/go controls are in place at the bridge, with delays of up to 5 minutes for light vehicles during the closures. All work on the bridge is expected to be completed by the end of February. More information.

State Highway 56 - Upcoming road closure at Opiki

SH56, Opiki: Resealing works are underway on SH56 at Opiki from until Wednesday 28 January, before school resumes. This is for second-coat seals on the rebuilds completed last season. A daytime road closure is in place each day from 6am to 6pm, excluding Sundays. Access to residents, businesses and the school remains.

The detour is via SH57 or SH1. Plan ahead and allow for extra time. The road will be open outside of these work hours.

All renewals receive a second coat seal the year after they are rebuilt. The first coat is left to settle for about 12 months, and the second coat is then applied to create a thick, more durable and waterproof surface.

Photo: The detour is via SH57 or SH1.

State Highway 57

SH57 Shannon: A road rebuild will take place on SH57 north of Shannon from Tuesday 3 February to Friday 13 March. Night works will run from 6pm to 6am each day with stop/go in place and delays of 10 minutes. A temporary 30km/h speed limit will be in place outside of work hours.

SH57 Levin: Drainage works will take place on SH57/ Arapaepae Road from Monday 9 February to Friday 13 February. Works will run from 7:30am to 5pm with stop/go in place and delays of 5 minutes.

Other works in January-February 2026

A range of resealing road maintenance sites are planned across our state highways this summer. For example, after resealing works are complete on SH1 and SH57, crews plan to move to SH2 south of Norsewood. Please follow temporary traffic management and expect delays at resealing sites.

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