Nelson/Tasman state highway planned roadworks

Saturday 18 October to Friday 24 October

17 October 2025

Kia ora and welcome

Kia ora,

Welcome to this week's issue of the Nelson/Tasman state highway planned roadworks update.

This weekly newsletter will keep you informed about what’s happening across the region’s state highways so you can plan ahead.

Please feel free to share this newsletter with whānau and friends, anyone can sign up to stay informed.

The information outlined below is current as at 12:10pm on 17/10/2025.

Labour weekend roadworks

All roadworks will pause over Labour Weekend (next weekend), with contractors shutting down sites from midday Friday 24 October, returning early morning Tuesday 28 October. Long-term sites may have ongoing restrictions in place. Please check Journey Planner for the latest updates on road conditions before you travel.

SH6 Nelson to Blenheim

SH6 Whangamoa Saddle

Resilience works continue between Hira and Rai Valley. Stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h reduced speed limit is in place 24/7 for the safety of all road users. There are five sites to complete as part of this project, however only one site will be worked on at a time to minimise disruption. Plan ahead for delays of up to 10 minutes when travelling between Nelson and Blenheim while this work is underway.

Read our traffic bulletin for more information.

The photo below shows magnum stones being placed at the resilience work site. Steel cages are then placed and tied to these stones before they're filled with concrete to create a retaining wall structure.

SH6 Nelson to Greymouth

Due to multiple resurfacing, resealing, recovery and resilience sites on State Highway 6 between Richmond and Murchison from now until Christmas, road users must allow extra time for their journeys. Plan ahead and check Journey Planner before travelling for up-to-date information on delay times at each site.

SH6 Brightwater to Wakefield

Chipsealing will be underway between Brightwater and Wakefield from Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 October between 7am and 5pm. Stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h temporary speed limit will be in place during work hours. Expect short delays.

SH6 Doctors Creek Bridge, Kohatu

Chipsealing will be underway at each end of Doctors Creek Bridge from Tuesday 21 to Thursday 23 October between 7am and 5pm. Stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h temporary speed limit will be in place during work hours. Expect short delays.

SH6 Kohatu

Work to rebuild a one kilometre stretch of State Highway 6 from the end of the Kohatu Bridge towards Mead Bridge is underway. Other recovery work to fix damage to the existing stopbanks and river protection structures caused during the June/July floods is also being completed. Work is underway on weekdays (Monday - Friday), from 7am to 5pm, under stop/go traffic management. Expect 15-minute delays when passing through this work site. A 30 km/h temporary speed limit applies 24/7.

Read our traffic bulletin for more information.

SH6 Motupiko, Tunnicliffe Bridge

Chipsealing will be underway between Tunnicliffe Bridge and Clark River Bridge from Wednesday 22 to Wednesday 29 October between 7am and 5pm. Stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h temporary speed limit will be in place during work hours. Expect short delays. No work will be carried out on Saturday 25 or Sunday 26 October, but a reduced temporary speed limit will remain in place until the loose chip is sufficently swept. 

SH6 Coal Creek, south of Owen River Bridge

Rock armouring work on State Highway 6, south of the Owen River Bridge is underway from 7am to 5pm on weekdays until Friday 7 November. This work involves placing large rocks/boulders along the riverbank to protect against erosion. A 50km/h temporary speed limit is in place during work hours.

The photo below shows the rock stockpiled on State Highway 6 at Coal Creek ready to be placed along the riverbank.

SH6 rockfall resilience work at Granity Narrows and O'Sullivan's Junction

Rockfall resilience work continues at two sites near Murchison - one at the Granity Narrows on State Highway 6 between Kawatiri and Owen Junction, and the other near O’Sullivan’s Junction - also on State Highway 6. Stop/Go traffic management and 30 km/h temporary speed limit is in place at both sites 24/7 until the end of May 2026. Plan ahead for 15 minute delays. At times, traffic will be held in both directions when controlled rock clearing is underway. The road will be open to two lanes over the Christmas / New Year holiday period.

Read our media release for more information.

SH60 Nelson to Golden Bay

SH60 High Street, Motueka - between Inglis Street and Fearon Street

Kerb, channel and footpath replacement work continues until Friday 31 October, Monday to Friday between 7am and 5pm. During this time two lanes of traffic will be maintained but some parking spaces will be unavailable.

SH60 Tākaka Hill, Riwaka side, approx. 4 km uphill from Riwaka Valley Road

As part of our recovery work following the June and July storm events, the crew at Goodall’s Straight on the Riwaka side are working to reduce the risk of the road slumping or falling away in the future.

The photo below provides a glimpse of the geotechnical work required to secure the road. Most of this work won't be visible as you drive past our site, but we're installing massive ground anchors up to 30m long. These anchors will secure mesh to the slope, which will be covered in shotcrete (sprayed concrete) to reduce erosion. And at the top of the slope, we're also sinking a huge concrete ground beam to better support the road edge.

We’re continuing recovery on a number of sites on the hill, so plan ahead for delays of up to 20 minutes when you're travelling over Tākaka Hill.

State Highway 60 Tākaka Hill resealed before Christmas

Daytime and night time closures are planned for State Highway 60 Tākaka Hill next month, as the state highway summer maintenance season continues at the top of the South Island.

Chipsealing and asphalting works are planned - this is work carried out every year to ensure the highway’s road surface is maintained and kept in a good state of repair.

Daytime closures will be in place for chipsealing from Tuesday 4 November to Friday 7 November between 9am and 3:30pm. During this time, the road will reopen once at 11:30 am to let traffic through.

They will be followed by three weeks of night closures for asphalt resurfacing and other maintenance works from Sunday, 30 November to Friday 19 December between 8pm and 5:30am (Sunday - Thursday nights). The road will open once each night at two road closure points. If you are travelling over the hill you must be at the Aaron Creek Road closure point by 12:30am or at the Riwaka Valley Road closure point by 1am to be piloted through the worksite.

Outside of the closure times, stop/go traffic management will remain in place as recovery work continues. Expect delays of up to 20 minutes.

Read our media release for more information.

Upcoming work - SH6 Nelson to Blenheim

State Highway 6 - Whangamoa Saddle night closures

We’ll be closing State Highway 6 Whangamoa Saddle, between Rai Valley and Hira for three weeks of night time resurfacing and maintenance works in November as our top of the south summer roadworks continue. The closure will be in place from Sunday 9 until Friday 28 November, Sunday to Thursday nights between 8pm and 5:30am.

We'll reopen the road once a night to let traffic through. If you want to travel overnight you’ll need to be at the closure points - the weighbridge in Hira, and on the Rai Valley straight at Rai Engineering & Mechanical, by 12:30 am. Please plan carefully to ensure you meet this schedule. 

It’s important we complete these works as quickly and as safely as possible which is why we’ve planned this work to be carried out at night, when there are fewer vehicles using the road. During the closure roadworkers will reseal sections of the highway, clear drainage, replace a culvert, carry out resilience improvements, and other general maintenance work to ensure the road is in good shape before the summer holidays.

We know this will be disruptive but given the narrowness of the road and the heavy equipment being used for resurfacing, the highway must be closed to keep you and roadworkers safe. If you want to travel between Blenheim and Nelson overnight you can detour via State Highway 63 and St Arnaud. This will add an extra 45 minutes to travel times.

Read our media release for more information.

Have your say on a proposed Intersection Speed Zone at Brightwater

We’d like to hear from you on a proposed Intersection Speed Zone at the intersection of State Highway 6 and Ellis Street/River Terrace Road, near Brightwater.

Intersection Speed Zones are used to improve the safety at rural intersections along high-speed roads.

They detect when a vehicle is approaching the intersection to either turn into or out of the side road, activating the electronic variable speed limit sign to temporarily show a lower legal speed limit on the highway.  

This makes it easier and safer for people to pull into or out of a side road across a high-speed rural road.

Consultation is open now and closes on 24 November 2025. You can provide your feedback by filling out the questionnaire.

More information

Please be aware that there may be other less disruptive state highway works not listed in this newsletter. 

All work is subject to weather and other unforeseen circumstances. In the event of unsuitable conditions, work will be rescheduled to the next suitable workday.

For more information on the Nelson/Tasman state highway maintenance programme, contact us at Nelson-Tasmanmaintenance@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/sh-maintenance-programme/nelson-tasman

For information on Marlborough, West Coast or Canterbury state highway maintenance,  where you can sign up for newsletters that cover other regions.