Canterbury state highway planned roadworks

Tuesday 20 January to Monday 26 January

19 January 2026

Timelapse showing the installation of the temporary Waiho North River Bridge on SH82 while the existing bridge is being replaced.

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Kia ora

Welcome to the latest Canterbury state highway planned roadworks update.

To stay up to date visit Journey Planner.

Information current as at 3.30pm on Monday 19 January 2026

SH1 Christchurch to Picton

SH1 Woodend: Road resurfacing work will take place between Rangiora Woodend Road and Parsonage Road at night 8pm-5pm from 25 to 27 January. Stop/go traffic management will be in place on SH1, with local road closures and temporary speed limits. Delays of up to 10 minutes are expected.

SH1 north of Amberley at Glasnevin: A road rebuild is taking place until 30 January, from 6am to 6pm on weekdays. Northbound traffic will be closed with a detour in place, and the site will operate 24/7 from Monday to Saturday, opening both directions when possible. A 30 km/h temporary speed limit applies. The detour uses SH1, Douglas Road, Mount Brown Road, and Georges Road, and will add about 7 minutes to travel time. The southbound lane remains open. 

Read our Traffic Bulletin for more details about the works at Glasnevin, as well as Peketa and Hapuku (see below)

SH1 Wyllies Crossing: Chip sealing will take place south of Omihi on 20 January from 6am to 6pm. A 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place, and some delays are expected.

SH1 Peketa: Seawall repairs will take place from 21 January to 15 February, from 6am to 8pm, Monday to Sunday. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, with delays of up to 15 minutes expected. Twice a day, the road will be held in both directions for up to 20 minutes so an excavator can be lowered or raised below the road during low tide.  Read our Traffic Bulletin here

SH1 Hapuku between Factory Road and Skevingtons Road: 12 January to 31 March Road rebuild. Weekdays 6am-6pm with some weekends when needed to keep the project moving.  Stop/go contolled manually and by temporary traffic lights 15 min delays

SH1 Lake Grassmere to Wharanui: Pre-seal work will take place from 19 January to 24 January, from 6:30am to 6pm each day. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, and drivers should expect delays of up to 5 minutes. Crews will work in Wharanui on Monday and Tuesday, and in the Grassmere/Taimate area from Tuesday to Saturday.

SH1 north of Spring Creek: A 1 kilometre section of highway is being rebuilt between 12 January and the end of March. Work will run Mondays to Saturdays from 7am to 6pm. A 30km/h temporary speed limit will apply at all times. Currently, lanes are open in both directions, but stop/go traffic management will be in place later in the project. Expect delays of up to 10 minutes.

SH1 Picton Elevation to Tuamarina: Resurfacing work will take place overnight from 18 January to 22 January. Crews will operate from 6pm to 6am each night, finishing at 6am Friday 23 January. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, and a 30km/h speed limit will apply. Expect delays of up to 10 minutes.

SH1 Christchurch to Dunedin

SH1 Rolleston at the intersection with Dunns Crossing Road:  Entry to Dunns Crossing Road from SH1 remains closed, until the end of February.

SH1 Temuka: Pavement repairs will take place at the Ewen Street intersection from 20 to 23 January. Lane closures will be in place on Ewen Street west of SH1. Use alternative local streets to access Ewen Street while work is underway. 

SH1 Timaru, Evans Street / Grants Road: Taitarakihi Culvert replacement works are continuing until March. There are currently lane shifts on SH1 and 30km/h temporary speed limits 24 hours per day. Expect congestion on SH1 at this site.

SH1 South of Ashburton at the Longbeach Road intersection: Road reconstruction will get underway 26 January until 18 March. There are currently lane shifts with a 30 km/h speed limit. Expect delays of up to 10 minutes. This work is weather dependent and may be rescheduled at short notice. Please take care at unattended sites where temporary speed restrictions remain in place. 

SH1 Waimate, Otaio passing lanes: Road reconstruction continues until 30 January. Lane closures are in place, and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit applies 24 hours a day.

SH1 Makikihi to Morven: Pavement and surfacing repairs will continue in multiple locations until 30 January. Work is taking place under daytime stop/go traffic management with a 30 km/h speed limit. Delays of up to 10 minutes are expected. 

SH1 Kakaho Creek: Road rebuild work continues weekdays 6am to 7pm until 1 March. Stop/Go traffic management and temporary speed limits operating. Expect delays of around 10 minutes

SH1 Bushey (near Palmerston): Preparation work for a road rebuild is underway31 January. Expect short delays.

SH1 Waitaki to Dunedin: Water cutting to improve the road surface. Minimal impact expected but you may see crews and equipment on the highway. 

Key state highways across the Canterbury Region

SH7 Frog Rock and Shale Peak: Chip sealing work will take place on 21 and 22 January. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and delays of up to 20 minutes expected.

SH7 Glen Wye: Resurfacing work will take place at Island Hills on 22 January. The road will be closed overnight from 9pm to 5:30am, with a midnight opening.

SH73 West Melton: Chip sealing will take place at Jowers Road from 19 to 21 January during night works from 6pm to 6am. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and local side road closures.

SH75 Akaroa Highway: Chip sealing will take place at Ataahua Domain and south of Graylees Culvert on 19 January. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and delays of up to 20 minutes expected.

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 Extension between Ensors Road and Garlands Road: 18-21 January. Full road night closure for tree felling and paving work 9pm-4am. Local road detours in place.

SH77 Rakaia Gorge: On 23 January SCRIM (Sideway-force Coefficient Routine Investigation Machine) will be working across the whole of the Rakaia Gorge. SCRIM collects data on skid resistance, surface texture, roughness, and rutting, the grooves that form in the road over time.

SH77 Methven: Pavement and surfacing repairs will take place in multiple locations from 21 to 23 January. Work will be carried out under daytime stop/go traffic management with a 30 km/h speed limit. This work is weather dependent and may be rescheduled at short notice. Please take care at unattended sites where temporary speed restrictions remain in place.

SH79 Geraldine to Kakahu: Pavement and surfacing repairs will continue in multiple locations until 20 January. Work is taking place under daytime stop/go traffic management with a 30 km/h speed limit. This work is weather dependent and may be rescheduled at short notice. Please take care at unattended sites where temporary speed restrictions remain in place.

SH82 Hakataramea Highway (Waimate to Ikawai): Pavement and surfacing repairs will continue until 27 February. 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. Expect delays of up to 10 minutes

SH82 Hakataramea Highway: Culvert repairs will take place at Grassy Hills from 19 to 21 January. Work will be carried out under temporary speed limits and lane width reduction. Please take care at unattended sites where temporary speed restrictions remain in place.

SH82 Waihao North River Bridge: Work to replace the bridge is underway. Crews have installed a temporary bridge next to the Waihao North River Bridge. (See timelapse video above). A 30 km/h temporary speed limit is in place. The existing bridge is now reduced to one lane. 

SH82 Elephant Hill Stream Bridge is also being replaced. Currently a temporary bridge is also being installed at this site and a 30km/h temporary speed limit is in place on the existing bridge.

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