Canterbury state highway planned roadworks

Tuesday 27 January to Monday 2 February

26 January 2026

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 26 January.

SH1 Christchurch to Picton

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 26 January from 6am to 6pm. Stop/go, and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place, 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: Road rebuild until 31 March Road rebuild. Weekdays 6am-6pm with some weekends when needed to keep the project moving.  Stop/go controlled manually and by temporary traffic lights with 15 minute delays

SH1 Lake Grassmere to Wharanui: Pre-seal work originally planned for last week was postponed due to wet weather. It will now take place from 26-31 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.

SH1 north of Spring Creek: A one kilometre section of highway is being rebuilt between 28 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 Christchurch to Dunedin

SH1 Rolleston at Weedons Road interchange: Night works begin 1 February for about two weeks to install new service trenches and relocate existing services on Weedons Road and the SH1 off-ramp.  From 8pm to 5am each night the SH1 southbound off-ramp and on-ramp will be closed. Local detours will be in place. Work will not take place on Friday or Saturday nights, or 5 February prior to Waitangi Day.

SH1 Rakaia to Chertsey: Pavement and surfacing repairs will take place in multiple locations from 27 January to 2 February. 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. Expect delays of up to 20 minutes.

SH1 south of Rangitata: Culvert repairs will take place near Looker Road from 28 to 30 January. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, and delays of up to 20 minutes are expected. Speed restrictions will remain when the site is unattended.

SH1 Temuka: Pavement repairs will take place at the Ewen Street intersection until 30 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 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 Waimate Highway: Road reconstruction will take place near Gum Tree Flat Road from 28 January to 27 February. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and delays of up to 10 minutes expected. Speed restrictions will remain when the site is unattended.

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 Waimate Highway: Culvert repairs south of Old Ferry Road will take place from 26 to 28 January with daytime stop/go traffic management and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit. Speed restrictions will remain in place when the site is unattended. Expect short delays.

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 underway until 31 January. Expect short delays.

Key state highways across the Canterbury Region

SH7 at the intersection of Rotherham Road (Red Post) and north of the intersection: Chip sealing on 27 January. Expect stop/go traffic management, a 30 km/h temporary speed limit, and delays.

SH7 at Leslie Hills Road: Chip sealing on 29 January followed by completion on 31 January. Expect stop/go traffic management, a 30 km/h temporary speed limit, and delays. 

SH7 Lewis Pass, Sylvia Flats and Goings south of St James Walkway carpark: Chip sealing will take place on 28 January. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit will apply. Delays may be up to 20 minutes.

SH8 Tekapō to Twizel: Pavement and surfacing repairs will take place in multiple locations from 28 to 30 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.

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 Christchurch Southern Motorway at Barrington Street: Resurfacing work will take place on 29 January. The Barrington on-ramp will be closed from 10pm to 4.30am, with local road detours in place.

SH76 Christchurch Southern Motorway: Night works will take place on 28 January from 10pm to 4.30am at the Curletts Dogbone Roundabout near Canterbury Agricultural Park. The SH76 Curletts Road offramp will be closed and there will be a single lane closed on the roundabout and local road detours.

SH77 Methven: Pavement and surfacing repairs will take place in multiple locations from 28 January to 2 February. 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. Expect short delays.

SH79 Kakahu: Road reconstruction will take place from Hall Road to Howe Road from 2 February to 31 March. Temporary traffic lights will manage traffic with a 30 km/h speed limit in place, including when the site is unattended. Expect delays of up to 15 minutes.

SH79 Geraldine to Skiptons (Opuha River): 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. 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 Waihao North River Bridge: Work to replace the bridge is underway. Crews have installed a temporary bridge next to the Waihao North River Bridge. 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