SH1 Tīrau to Waiouru accelerated maintenance project update

Latest information on SH1 work

18 October 2024

Future SH1 closures

Since the Tīrau to Waiouru accelerated maintenance project kicked off in early September, we’ve made good progress.

Projects like this are incredibly complex. The planning team have to manage crews and machinery, consider changing traffic volumes on detours and the impact on local roads, and of course contend with the impacts of bad weather.  

The constantly moving parts mean that we may not be able to confirm start dates for work as early as we’d like, or provide as much notice to people that need to plan their busy lives around the works. It can also mean that plans change and dates for closures move around a bit. 

The NZTA website will have the latest information on upcoming closures and confirmation of work. If you think a closure may impact you, keep checking back for updates. 

Putāruru and Tokoroa

In late November we're expecting to kick-off work between Putāruru and Tokoroa. During this work, SH1 will be closed in both directions and traffic detoured 24/7. Detour routes, specific work sites within the closure and the start dates will be confirmed as soon as we're able. 

Residents and businesses within the closure points will still have access. 

If you are a resident or business that may be impacted by this work, please email our stakeholder team so we can understand your household and/or business needs for better planning.

Other work in November

We're working with our contractors to plan the next stages of work.  There may be a  slight shift in the staging of some of this work to make sure we're able to complete it as quickly and efficiently as possible. 

We hope to confirm this in the coming weeks. We will update the website and share information through this newsletter as soon as details are confirmed. 

Thank you for your patience, understanding and flexibility as we tackle the most ambitious maintenance project we’ve ever done.

Night works on SH1 between Piarere and Tīrau

We’re able to control a lot of things, but we can’t control the weather. 

The bad weather has meant we haven’t been able to finish this section as quickly as we had hoped.

However, the team are pulling out all the stops to get this job completed before further bad weather hits next week, just in time for Labour Weekend. 

The final work on this section will now be:

• Friday 18 October, 8pm to 6am Saturday morning
• Sunday 20 October, 7pm to 6am Monday morning
• Monday 21 October, 7pm to 6am Tuesday morning. 

Residents, businesses and emergency services will have access at all times. Please approach the traffic control team at the closure if you need to gain entry. 

The detour is via SH29 and SH27 as shown in the map below. It is 12.9 kms or an extra 10 minutes of travel time.

While this detour is in place at nights, do not use Totman Road as a shortcut. Google may suggest this is the best option, but Totman Road is only open to residents.

SH1 closures continue between Tokoroa to upper Ātiamuri

We’re 2 weeks into this closure and the team are working hard since establishing onsite. 

Shoulder clearing, subsoil drain installation, kerb and channel replacement and guardrail removal is ongoing throughout the length of the corridor and we’ve commenced rebuilding the pavements on our 2 most southern sites within the zone. 

Reconstruction of the pavement involves pre-hoeing (loosening) the existing surface, adding more aggregate (stone) to shape and rebuild the pavement layers and then adding a top layer to increase its strength and overall waterproofness. 

This process requires multiple contractors working together to prepare it for stabilising and then seal.

To date, over 56,000T of material has been trucked in for the work. This is equivalent to 560 blue whales, or 14 million brown kiwis! 

Tokoroa is still very much open for business during the road closures, including those businesses located just south of SH32 such as Robert Harris and Subway. Access is also being maintained for emergency vehicles and residents.

Detour

The SH30/SH32 route is suitable for both light and heavy traffic. Due to some narrow areas along the corridor, coupled with few overtaking opportunities, we suggest those towing trailers, boats or floats, horse trucks, freight and heavy vehicles consider their routes carefully ahead of time and use SH5 through Rotorua if heading further afield than Tokoroa.

Road users cannot use private roads.  This includes roads such as Tram Road in Kinleith Forest which is a private road for forestry vehicles only.

Shaping and rebuilding the layers

Check out the Downer crew shaping and rebuilding they layers on SH1 between Tokoroa and Ātiamuri. As you can see, the work is across the whole width of the state highway, with very long sections. 

Staying safe on detour routes

During the project, motorists will be detoured down other state highways.

We recommend detour routes due to their suitability for both light and heavy traffic. Our official detour routes are state highways, wherever possible. That’s because state highways are built to be suitable for a higher volume of vehicles, including heavier vehicles.

Sometimes if there are no state highway detours available, or they would mean an unreasonably long detour, we partner with our adjacent councils to use their local roads, if they are appropriate.

Some road users may wonder why we don’t recommend particular local roads they might be more familiar with. There could be a range of reasons for this, including:

• The impact on local residents from increased traffic
• The suitability of the road, or parts of the road (such as bridges) to cope with additional volumes
• The current condition of the local road, and whether it is a safe route to suggest.

Whatever detour is suggested, all road users should remember to drive to the conditions, take care and be mindful when driving at all times.

You can get yourself ahead of the game by planning your journey.  Check the NZTA Journey Planner for the detour routes and travel times.

Remember to be alert for pilot vehicles, particularly on narrow roads. Oversized loads need to be treated with respect. If you see a pilot vehicle, prepare to slow down and give an oversized load some room.

Keep an eye out for pilot vehicles and oversized loads.

Shout out

This is an ambitious project with many moving parts and we are very aware that these closures have major impacts on residents, motorists and businesses. 

We’d like to thank businesses for sharing their concerns, working with us and for their understanding when we may not have been able to come up with a solution that worked for everyone. 

This includes Oji Fibre Solutions who run a mill in Tokoroa. They have deferred a major maintenance project they had planned in November, due to the work between Tokoroa and Ātiamuri. 

If your business has concerns or questions about how this project will impact you, please email us.

More information

This work forms part of the government’s $2.07 billion investment into road and drainage renewal and maintenance across 2024-27 via the State Highway Pothole Prevention fund.

Please pass this on to others who may be using SH1 in the next few months and encourage them to sign up to this newsletter by using the subscribe button below.

For more information or any concerns on the SH1 Tīrau to Waiouru maintenance, please email us.

Please visit our website nzta.govt.nz/t2w