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SH1 Tīrau to Waiouru accelerated maintenance project updateFirst fully finished section of rebuilt SH1 |
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7 February 2025 |
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There's plenty of news in this week's edition - plus some amazing photos! We've got updates on:
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Finished productFist pumps all round – the first section of SH1, which was closed for rebuild, has been fully finished. The final surface of the Tīrau to Putāruru section of SH1 was completed overnight on Monday 3 February. The photos were taken on the last night of work - since then the line markings have been applied. We are sure residents and travellers through the area will be as excited as we are about getting this first one done. It’s looking great and smoother than a baby’s, well, you know… This section of SH1, from the SH1/SH5 roundabout near Tīrau, to the SH1/SH28 intersection near Putāruru, first closed from Monday 9 September 2024 for 4 weeks (reopening 4 October). There was a simple detour in place, SH5 and SH28 which added about 5 minutes to journey times. Multiple crews of roadworkers worked in shifts to get the job done as quickly as possible. The first road rebuild happened just north of the intersection between Webster Road / Taumangi Road / SH1. The other rebuild was just south of Webster Road. There was a total of 5.75 lane kms of road completely rebuilt. Other work undertaken during the closure included:
Check out the video of the crew working at night to get the final surfacing done. This really showcases the benefit of doing this work with a full closure. Working across the entire road means we can get in and out quickly. We’d love to hear your views after you have driven on this smooth new road. Please flick us an email to let us know what you think. |
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A part of SH1 Desert Road, as it was earlier this week |
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Desert Road detailsThe continued settled weather has been fabulous and allowed the crew to make great progress - including the Mangatoetoenui Bridge - on SH1 Desert Road. Sites have been dug up (aka pre-hoeing) to establish the basecourse layer of the road and the final enabling works completed before the next stage which is the foam bitumen stabilisation - which is now underway. Our indication has always been that the Desert Road would be closed for 8 weeks, and with recent good weather supporting the work programme, everything is on track. We cannot guarantee the good weather continuing but can guarantee that the project team and work crews are doing their utmost to get work completed as quickly as possible. We know how important SH1 is to people and industries. Rebuilding a road is more than just throwing another layer on. There’s a lot of planning going in behind the scenes: schedules to be finalised; designs completed; traffic management and detours to agreed with local councils; crew, materials and supplies need to be ordered and coordinated; and road users, residents, businesses and communities need to be contacted. It’s a logistical juggling act, carefully and artfully juggled by project managers across NZTA and Downer. Supporting them are an experienced group of engineers, quality and safety experts, accountants and finance gurus, communications professionals to name a few. All of these people work in the background to make sure that the crew on the ground have everything they need, at the right time, to do the work to the highest of quality standards, as quickly as possible. |
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Getting out and aboutMel is one of the crucial members of the Downer communications team working on the T2W project. She started working in administration as part of the Downer Taupō Construction team in 2022 but had the “appetite” to learn more (not just about eclairs) and took every opportunity to learn different aspects of company business. This has enabled her progression onto the T2W Project as a Communications Advisor. Mel’s work includes triaging all the incoming queries, managing the distribution of access passes, and lots of other interactions with our stakeholders, residents, crews and teams. Mel has seen first-hand the magnitude of a project such as this. “It's great to see progress happening at such an advanced speed due to the benefits of a full road closure,” she says. She celebrated her birthday recently by indulging in one of Ohakune’s world famous chocolate eclairs. |
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Changes to access to closed Desert RoadPasses are now required for those people with legitimate reasons to access the worksite on SH1 Desert Road. The DOC sites are now closed, as is the access from SH1 to the Poutu inlet and SH46. We have confidence we have issued passes to all those who may need them, but if you believe you do need a pass and do not currently have one, please email us to apply. |
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New deck on Mangatoetoenui BridgeThe crew at Mangatoetoenui Bridge had an action-packed week with monster crane lifting into place the new bridge deck (NZ's biggest mobile crane has been affectionally knicknamed "Monster Crane" by the team). The new deck was delivered in 2 sections - each 62 tonnes - and has been successfully installed into position. The halves have reinforced steel sticking out where the 2 sections are "stitched" together to form the middle of the bridge deck. More reinforcing steel is added down the middle then concrete is placed to weld the two halves into one solid bridge. This “stitchpour” has been completed and the bridge deck is now curing. The crew have also placed all end-wall panels and wingwall panels to complete all precast installation. By the end of this week the backfill of both abutments with flowable fill would be completed and preparation underway for barrier and pavement works. Monster Crane has been packed up and is on its way off the site. Thanks for your mahi Monster Crane, we had grown fond of you... |
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Above: Monster Crane swinging the second part of the deck into place. Below: Stitching 2 parts of a bridge together |
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Below: Monster Crane all packed up and heading off to the next assignment |
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Setting of temporary speed limitsWe have had some people asking if we can further reduce the speeds on some of the detours including the current one for the Desert Road. It is not as easy as just putting up some signs and covering up some other ones. There is legislation that we have to follow. When we’re planning our detour routes, we consider how safe they might be with increased traffic on them, and how we might be able make them work with the increased traffic. Sometimes that’s through signage, sometimes that’s through working with our NZ Police colleagues to keep an eye on things. Other times we can set temporary speed limits but these times are limited. There’s a set of requirements that we must consider before implementing any temporary speed limits. From the assessment done by NZTA, the detour in place when the Desert Road is closed doesn’t meet with the legislation parameters to use a temporary speed limit. Our colleagues at NZ Police have dedicated teams out on the detour route, keeping an eye on driver behaviour and enforcing speed limits. We’re grateful for their continued support. |
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Upcoming works and closuresSH1 Putāruru to Tokoroa closure from 3 March SH1 will be closed for up to 4 weeks for road rebuilding from Domain Road to Pinedale Road. There will also be approximately 2 weeks of night closures and/or stop/go traffic management in early April and again in late October for the final surfacing of the road rebuilds completed. This work was not able to fit into the schedule during the first closure – we didn’t want to cause disruption to Christmas traffic. We had indicated back then that we would need to come back and here we are.... From 5am Monday 3 March, SH1 will be closed from SH1/Princess Street, Putāruru to Vosper Road/SH1 Lichfield intersection.
Heavy vehicles - northbound and southbound via SH5 Rotorua. Southbound SH1 traffic will be detoured at Princes Street Putāruru, however SH1 remains accessible to the public as far as the Putāruru transfer station. Northbound SH1 traffic will be detoured at Vospers Road Lichfield, however SH1 remains accessible to locals as far as Pinedale Road. The "hard closure" is from the transfer station to just north of Pinedale Road. Within this hard closure, there will be strict requirements before anyone can go into that area as there will be a multitude of machines and people working on the road at all times of the day and night. Additional signage will be placed at the detour points advising that businesses (VTNZ, Timber Museum, Train World and the Redwood Café) are still open. We need to advise the detour earlier to those on longer journeys so they can navigate around the closure. SH1 Ātiamuri to Wairakei – 3 March SH1 will be closed for approximately 4 to 5 weeks to rebuild the southern end and finish the safety improvements closer to Ātiamuri. Both Higgins and Downer will be working on different sites within this closure. Like we do before all our closures, our team are out and about talking to residents and businesses who will be impacted by these closures. You can email the team if you have any specific needs or concerns about the upcoming work and we will be in contact. |
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It’s rubbish!There has been a noticeable increase in rubbish being dumped on detour routes which is very disappointing especially as rubbish has been dumped on a boundary of the Tongariro Duel World Heritage National Park. Normally Councillors make decisions about rubbish, but some end up taking hands-on action. As well as taking this rubbish to the right place, Councillor Nottage (Ruapehu District Council) is also going to see if the dumpers can be identified. |
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Have your say on speed limitsWe are currently consulting on whether to keep the lower speeds on SH1 Hātepe to Tūrangi as well as other areas in New Zealand. We are consulting with the public to understand if there is community support to retain the lower speed limits on all or part of this route. The consultation runs until Wednesday 13 March 2025. Submissions can be made using the short survey which is on our website. |
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Isaac’s first day |
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Tuesday this week saw a new face to the traffic management team working on the closure of SH1 between Tūrangi and Waiouru. It was Isaac Dheda’s first day and he was very excited about his new job. “It’s completely new to me, so everything is exciting,” he said. Isaac, a Tūrangi local, wanted a job where he was outdoors, where he would meet new people and he had always had a hankering for this type of job. “I'm willing to learn and commit to the job.” His first day started with site induction which included health and safety, meeting other people in the crew, and a tour around the various worksites so he knows what is involved in this project. He will shortly be assigned to a closure point. Day 1 is always an eye-opener, whatever type of work it is. Isaac soon realised it wasn’t quite like he expected. “I already have a new perspective on what traffic controllers need to deal with. There is more involved than what I originally thought.” He is looking forward to what he thinks may be the most challenging part of his job - dealing with the general public. So, if you see Isaac working in the traffic management team, give him a wave and let him know you saw this piece in our newsletter! |
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More information |
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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. For more information or any concerns on the SH1 Tīrau to Waiouru maintenance, please email us. Visit our website nzta.govt.nz/t2w Check out Journey Planner before you leave for your travels - it will show you the best routes! |
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