Canterbury state highway planned roadworks

Saturday 29 November to Friday 5 December

28 November 2025

Night paving work on SH76 Halswell Road, Christchurch

Kia ora

Welcome to the latest Canterbury state highway planned roadworks update.

We’re moving our newsletter to Monday afternoons, covering updates from Tuesday to Monday for the rest of the construction season. This change means you’ll receive the latest information at the start of the week, making it easier to plan ahead.

The next newsletter will be out on Monday, 8 December.

We’ll review this approach at the end of the season, and we welcome your feedback at the email address below

Note that SH1 Weld Pass will close overnight 7pm-5am from Sunday 23 November to Friday 5 December. See more information and detour map below.

To stay up to date visit Journey Planner.

Information current as at 2.45 pm on Friday 28 November 2025

SH1 Christchurch to Picton

SH1 Ashley River / Rakahuri Bridge: Road resurfacing work will take place overnight on 3 and 4 December, from 8pm to 5am. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, and you can expect delays of up to 10 minutes.

SH1 north of Cheviot at Downs Road, Spotswood: A road rebuild will take 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 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 Weld Pass closed at night from 23 November - 5 December

With the 2025-26 summer maintenance season well underway in Marlborough, State Highway 1 Weld Pass is next in line for road rebuilding work.

Night works are planned for Weld Pass from Sunday 23 November to Friday 5 December. Work will be carried out nightly between 7pm and 5am. There will be one opening each night at midnight to let queued traffic through the work area. The northbound lane will travel first, followed by the southbound lane.

Weld Pass must be closed to all traffic while the work is completed. It's a narrow road with limited space - resurfacing work and laying asphalt uses large machinery and it simply isn’t possible to allow traffic through the work site while work is underway.

Roadworkers will lay just under 3,500 m2 of asphalt to strengthen the road surface of Weld Pass. This will include milling/removing the old surface, before adding new layers. They will make the most of the closure by carrying out other maintenance work including culvert works, clearing drainage and attending to signage and vegetation.

Read our media release for more information.

SH1 Christchurch to Dunedin

SH1 Carmen Road, between Main South Road and Waterloo Road: Equipment issues mean the asphalt resurfacing work will now take place from 26 to 29 November. Night works will run from 9pm to 5am each night. SH1 Carmen Road will be closed during these hours. Local road detours will be in place. Please follow all route signage.

SH1 Main South Road, beside Hornby Mall, between Shands Road/SH1 Main Sth Road intersection and Chalmers Street: Asphalt resurfacing work will take place on 30 November and 1 December. Night works will run from 12am to 5am each night. SH1 will be closed during these hours. Local road detours will be in place. Please follow all route signage.

SH76 Christchurch Southern Motorway (Barrington Street on-ramp): Asphalt resealing will take place overnight on 3 December on a 700m westbound section towards Rolleston. The Barrington Street on-ramp will be closed from 10pm to 5am, with a detour in place to access SH76. Expect one westbound lane closed from 8 pm to 6 am and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit.

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 and Walkers Road: Night works for pole removal and temporary road widening will continue until 5 December, from 7 pm to 5 am, excluding Friday and Saturday nights. SH1 will be reduced to one lane in each direction. Temporary traffic lights will operate on all four approaches to the intersection, with a 30 km/h speed limit and short delays expected. Dunns Crossing Road will be closed at the SH1 intersection from 3 December for up to three weeks, reopening for the Christmas break.

SH1 Orari: Hedge trimming will take place on Friday 5 December from 7 am to 6 pm. Stop/go traffic management and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place. Expect delays of up to 20 minutes.

SH1 Timaru, Evans Street / Grants Road: Taitarakihi Culvert replacement works are continuing, with crews moving to the western side of the highway late next week. Traffic management and the intersection layout will change from Saturday 29 November. Access to Grants Road will be closed 24 hours a day during this stage. Please use alternative side streets to reach SH1.

SH1 Temuka: Footpath surfacing will take place on Monday 1 December from 8am to 5pm. A 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place, and stop/go will operate in stages. Expect congestion and delays while work is underway, and take extra care around the temporary pedestrian access.

SH1 St Andrews to Makikihi: Pavement repairs, weekdays 8am to 5pm until Friday 5 December.  Working under Stop/Go traffic management with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit. Expect delays of 10 minutes.  This work is weather dependent and may be rescheduled at short notice.

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

SH1 Kakaho Creek: Preparation work for a road rebuild will take place from 1 to 5 December. Work hours are Monday to Friday, 6am to 7pm. Expect delays of around 5 minutes.

SH1 Waikouaiti: Road surface sealing will take place from 3 to 4 December, 6am to 7pm. Expect delays of around 5 minutes.

SH1 Palmerston to Dunedin: Road seal repairs will take place from 1 to 5 December, 6am to 7pm. Expect delays of around 5 minutes.

SH1 Timaru, Evans Street / Grants Road:

Taitarakihi Culvert replacement works are continuing, with crews moving to the western side of the highway late next week. Traffic management and the intersection layout will change from Saturday 29 November. 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

SH8 Burkes Pass: Threshold sign repairs will take place 1 to 2 December.  Stop/go traffic management and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place, with delays of around 10 minutes. A threshold sign marks the entrance to a town or settlement on a state highway. It shows the place name and the new speed limit, so drivers know they’re leaving the open road and need to slow down.

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 take place overnight on 4 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: Chip sealing work will take place from 1 to 5 December. Stop/go traffic management and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place, with delays of around 10 minutes. On 5 December, SCRIM testing will take place across the entire Rakaia Gorge. (see below for more information about SCRIM testing)

SH79 Rangitata to Geraldine: Surfacing repairs near the Upper Orari River Bridge will take place overnight on Friday 5 December from 8 pm to 6 am. Work will run under lane shifts and stages of stop/go with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit. Expect delays of around 10 minutes.

SH79 Geraldine to Fairlie: Night and day works will continue in this area until Wednesday 10 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 and Elephant Hill Stream Bridge: Work to replace both bridges is underway. Crews are installing a temporary bridge next to the Waihao North River Bridge and completing minor enabling works at Elephant Hill Stream Bridge. A 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place at both sites. The Waihao North River Bridge is now reduced to one lane.

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.

Measuring Grip: The Science of Safer Roads

You might have seen a bright yellow truck driving slowly along the highway and wondered what it’s doing. That vehicle is part of a system called SCRIM, which stands for Sideway-force Coefficient Routine Investigation Machine. It’s a specialised survey truck used to measure how slippery or grippy the road surface is.

SCRIM trucks collect data on things like:
•     Skid resistance, how well tyres grip the road, especially in wet conditions.
•     Surface texture and roughness, which affects both safety and comfort.
•     Rutting, the grooves that form in the road over time due to heavy traffic.

Using lasers, sensors, and GPS, the truck surveys thousands of kilometres of state highways each year. The information it gathers helps NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi decide where maintenance is needed most, and how to keep roads safe for all users.

SCRIM is a behind-the-scenes tool that plays a big role in making sure our roads are safe, especially in areas with high rainfall or heavy traffic.

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