SH1 Brynderwyn Hills recovery and enabling works

27 February 2024

What’s been happening this week

After several months of preparation and a great deal of discussion with the community and stakeholders, yesterday marked the first day of the SH1 Brynderwyn Hills closure. While events were not what we had hoped for, our teams planned for different situations on the surrounding network and were able to respond quickly to support our partners at NZ Police.

The closure is now in place for all traffic until we reopen the road for six days over Easter from 28 March (12:01 am) until 2 April (11:59pm). The road will close again on 3 April to complete the next phase of work, reopening on 13 May.

We would like to thank everyone who has shared their local knowledge and insights which helped make the decision about timing for the closure and the detour routes. 

We would also like to acknowledge our partners Northland Transportation Alliance and all our contractors who have worked to ensure the scenic detour routes are as safe and as high quality as possible for people and goods.

Please expect a period of adjustment as motorists get used to travelling the different routes, be patient on the road and allow for the extra time needed to reach your destination.

In the final week before the closure, day and night teams have been fully focused on ensuring all preparatory work across the multiple works sites is complete, this has involved:

• Bringing in materials and equipment to help with shaping and compacting earth at the fill sites.
• Moving machinery such as excavators to the various work sites.
• Clearing vegetation and trees from the work areas.
• Putting environmental and sediment controls in place to manage the effects of excavation.

You can see the scale of the earth works undertaken so far in the picture above, with ultimately 150,000 cubic metres of earth to be excavated over the span of the works.

The 192 contractors that have now been inducted onto the project will report to either the north or south office depending on which section of the hill they are working on. Many of these are local workers or have come with special skills from other projects around New Zealand including SH25A in the Coromandel.

SH1 Brynderwyn Hills key information at a glance

Closed 26 February (12:01 am) - 27 March (11:59pm)

Open 28 March (12.01 am) - 2 April (11:59pm) for Easter travel 

Closed 3 April (12:01 am)- 12 May (11:59 pm)

Access Northland through three scenic detours 

Cove Road route- suggested route for light vehicles, trucks with trailers not permitted between Mangawhai and Waipu.

Paparoa Oakleigh Road route- can be used by trucks with trailers up to 50 tonnes.

SH12/SH14 route- high productivity motor vehicles (HPMV) must use this route.

Local road detours (Cove Road and Paparoa Oakleigh Road): 

Whangārei District Council: 0800 932 463 / online 

Kaipara District Council: 0800 727 059 / online

State highway detour (SH12/SH14):

NZTA Phone: 0800 444 449 / online

What’s happening next week

Work will be in full gear at multiple sites on the northern and southern side of the Brynderwyn Hills, with crews working around the clock, seven days a week.

With the road closed, teams will benefit from the increased workspace without the need for traffic management or delays caused by passing vehicles.

Meet the team- Tom Alexander

Over the coming weeks we will profile various members of the team working to restore the Brynderwyn Hills to a pre-weather event level of service. This week we would like you to introduce Tom Alexander.

What is your role? 

I am Construction Manager and look after the other half of the closure sites with Paul Gibson, who was profiled last week. Paul has the northern side and I have the southern side. On the northern sites work includes clearing vegetation, earthworks, stabilising banks, drainage, retaining walls, and pavement works.

What is your connection to this project?

Family and friends live either end of the road, so its livelihood is important to me. I also spent 5+ years working on the Puhoi to Warkworth corridor working in similar terrain and a lot of people on this team, so excited to get back into it!

Why is this project special? 

This project brings surety to the Northland Region, will limit impact ongoing impact to the environment from storms and ground instability, and brings employment and money into the community.

What is your favourite place in Northland?

I have two - Opononi on the Hokianga and Otamure Bay near Whananaki.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I like to make stuff. We have just built a new house – in the early days I spent a bit of time on the excavator doing dig outs and retaining walls, in the later stages I built the bathroom cabinetry. I have also spent the good part of 6 months doing the landscaping (with help from the family of course!).

More information

For more information on the SH1 Brynderwyn Hills project, contact us at northlandproject@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/brynderwyn-hills

To plan your journey visit http://journeys.nzta.govt.nz