Canterbury state highway planned roadworks

Tuesday 3 to Monday 9 February

2 February 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 2 February

Waitangi weekend

A national moratorium on road works will be in place over the Waitangi weekend. This means no activity will take place during this period unless an exemption has been approved.
Any works currently noted as running until 9 February, or after, will pause for the duration of the Waitangi weekend moratorium and will resume after the weekend, unless noted otherwise.

SH1 Christchurch to Picton

SH1 Church Road: Road rebuild; night works will continue until 4 February, from 10pm to 5am, with a full road closure and a detour via SH7, Waikari Valley Road, and Scargill Valley Road back to SH1. Day works will also take place on this site from 2 to 27 February, Monday to Friday, between 6am and 6pm, with a lane closed under Stop/Go and a temporary speed limit.  No work on Waitangi weekend.

SH1 Hapuku: A road rebuild is underway between Factory Road and Skevingtons Road until 31 March. Work will take place on weekdays from 6am to 6pm, with some weekends as needed to keep the project moving. Stop/Go traffic management will be controlled manually and by temporary traffic lights, with delays of up to 15 minutes.

SH1 Peketa: Seawall repairs continue until 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 north of Spring Creek: Work is underway to rebuild a 1 kilometre section of highway with construction due to be completed by the end of March. The team is working from Mondays to Saturdays (no work on Sundays). Stop/go traffic management is in place until 12 noon on Thursday 5 February. No work will be carried out over Waitangi weekend and lanes will be open in both directions – however the 30km/h temporary speed limit will still be in place as the site will have been recently sealed.

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

SH1 South of Ashburton at the Longbeach Road intersection: Road reconstruction 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 Temuka River Bridge: Bridge handrail repairs will take place on 3 February under daytime stop/go traffic management with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit. Expect congestion and delays of up to 20 minutes.

SH1 Opihi River Bridge: Tree trimming will take place on 4 February on the bridge approaches under daytime stop/stop traffic management with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit. Expect congestion and delays of up to 20 minutes.

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 Waimate Highway: Road reconstruction will take place near Gum Tree Flat Road until 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 13 February. 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 Herbert: Road repair work will take place from 2 to 5 February between 6am and 7pm. Expect delays of about 5 minutes. 

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

SH1 Bushey: Highway rebuild work from 2 to 15 February. Work is taking place on weekdays from 6am to 7pm. Short delays are expected.

SH1 Pine Hill Road: Vegetation management will take place from 2 to 5 February between 6am and 7pm. Allow for delays of about 5 minutes. 

SH1 North Dunedin: Traffic signal repairs will take place from 2 to 5 February between 6am and 7pm. Expect delays of about 5 minutes.

Key state highways across the Canterbury Region

SH7 at the intersection of Rotherham Road (Red Post) and north of the intersection: Chip sealing on 3 February. Expect stop/go traffic management, a 30 km/h temporary speed limit, and delays.

SH7 at Leslie Hills Road: Sealing works will continue on Monday 3 February from 6am to 6pm. Stop/Go traffic management will be in place with a temporary speed limit, and delays of up to 20 minutes are possible.

SH8 Tekapō to Twizel: Pavement and surfacing repairs will take place in multiple locations until 5 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.

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.

SH75 Barry’s Bay: Paving works will take place overnight on Wednesday 4 February, from 9pm to 5am. SH75 will be closed between Hilltop and Duvauchelles, with a detour in place via Duvauchelle Stock Route, Pigeon Bay Road, and Summit Road for both directions of traffic.

SH77 Methven: Pavement and surfacing repairs will take place in multiple locations until 5 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.

SH77 Rakaia Gorge: Chip sealing work will take place on Wednesday 4 February. Stop/Go traffic management and a 30km/h temporary speed limit will be in place, with delays of around 10 minutes.

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.

SH80 Mt Cook Highway: Roadworks will take place in multiple locations from 2 to 4 February under daytime stop/go traffic management with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit. Speed limits will remain in place 24 hours a day. Expect delays of up to 15 minutes.

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