Canterbury state highway planned roadworks

Saturday 25 October to Friday 31 October

24 October 2025

SH7 Boyle River on Thursday 23 October

Kia ora,

Welcome to the latest Canterbury state highway planned roadworks update.

SH73 between Springfield and Otira reopened mid Friday morning. People can still expect delays as traffic moves through and are asked to drive with care while hazards may still exist. 

SH7 and SH7A between Waipara and Hanmer Springs opened at 4pm.

SH7 Hanmer Springs Junction to Springs Junction will remain closed overnight Friday.

Check Travel Bulletins, Journey Planner  and our Canterbury West Coast Facebook page for updates.

Weather Impact on upcoming road works.

Our teams remain committed to progressing scheduled works wherever conditions allow. However, recent weather events mean some delays are unavoidable. Crews are currently focused on responding to immediate impacts and ensuring safety.
Over the coming days, they’ll review priorities and determine what work can continue with the resources available. Thank you for your understanding as we adapt to these changing conditions.

Labour Day Monday 27 October. Moratorium on all non essential work on the state highways from 12 midday on Friday 24 until midnight on Monday 27 October

Information current as at 4.25pm on Friday 24 October 2025

Christchurch to Picton

SH1 Carmen Road at Buchanans Road: Christchurch City Council is upgrading a major wastewater pipe from 26 October at 9 pm, working in 24-hour shifts until 4 November. SH1 will be reduced to one lane in each direction, but traffic can continue straight through. Expect delays of 30 to 60 minutes. Suggested routes will be posted on SH1 Johns Road and SH1 Main South Road to help bypass the area. Read the Christchurch City Council Newsline article for more information.

SH1 Hewsons Stream, south of the Conway River: Chip sealing will take place on 30 October from 6 am to 6 pm. Expect stop/go and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit.

SH1 between Para and Speeds Roads (Koromiko):
Various work including patching, road sweeping and line marking that was scheduled for completion today (Friday 24 October) will pause over the long weekend before restarting on Tuesday 28 October until Friday 31 October between 6.30am and 6pm. Stop/go traffic management and a reduced speed limit will be in place during work hours. Expect delays of up to 5 minutes.

Upcoming night closure of SH1 from the Conway River to Oaro Tuesday 4-Saturday 8 November

SH1 Hundalees (Conway River to Oaro): Resurfacing work is planned over four nights, from 9 pm to 5 am, with a midnight opening each night. Detour route options will be available during the closures.

Upcoming night closure of SH1 Weld Pass from 23 November

With the 2025-26 summer maintenance season well underway in Marlborough, State Highway 1 Weld Pass is next in line for road rebuilding work.

Night works are planned for Weld Pass from Sunday 23 November to Friday 5 December. Work will be carried out nightly between 7pm and 5am. There will be one opening each night at midnight to let queued traffic through the work area. The northbound lane will travel first, followed by the southbound lane.

Weld Pass must be closed to all traffic while the work is completed. It's a narrow road with limited space - resurfacing work and laying asphalt uses large machinery and it simply isn’t possible to allow traffic through the work site while work is underway.

Roadworkers will lay just under 3,500 m2 of asphalt to strengthen the road surface of Weld Pass. This will include milling/removing the old surface, before adding new layers. They will make the most of the closure by carrying out other maintenance work including culvert works, clearing drainage and attending to signage and vegetation.

This work's similar to servicing your car or repainting your house -regular maintenance prevents bigger problems down the track.

Read our media release for more information

SH1 Christchurch to Dunedin

SH76 Christchurch Southern Motorway: Night works will run from 29 October to 18 December, 7 pm to 5 am. Crews are adding 4.6 km of barrier and maintenance bays between Wrights Road and Halswell Junction Road. No delays are expected.

SH1 Rolleston at Dunns Crossing Road: Tree felling next to the highway will take place on 28 October from 12 pm to 3 pm, and from 29 to 31 October between 9 am and 3 pm. Work will restart on Tuesday afternoon due to high winds and is weather dependent. Expect a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and short closures in both directions while trees are felled.

SH1 King Street, Temuka: Kerb, channel, and footpath repairs will take place from 13 to 31 October, weekdays from 7 am to 5 pm. Expect stages of stop/go with delays of up to 15 minutes and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit.

SH1 Evans Street / Grants Road intersection, Timaru: Taitarakihi Culvert replacement is underway from 9 September to 30 November, operating 24 hours a day. Intersection layout changes are in place, along with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit.

SH1 Waimataitai, Timaru: Watermain renewal is underway from 9 September to 31 October, from 7 am to 6 pm. Expect lane shifts and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit.

SH1 south of Pukeuri: Road rebuild is underway from 13 October to 19 December, 6 am to 4 pm. Expect stop/go, lane shifts, and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit.

SH1 Kakaho Creek near Hampden: Earthworks and drainage work in preparation for a road rebuild will take place from 28 to 31 October, between 6 am and 7 pm. Expect delays of around 5 minutes

SH80 Dead Horse Stream, Sawyers Stream and Unwin Lodge on the morning of Thursday 23 October

Key state highways across the Canterbury Region

SH8 Pleasant Point to Twizel: Pavement maintenance work is taking place daily from 7 am to 6 pm. Expect multiple sites of stop/go and temporary speed limits .

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.

SH80 Mt Cook Highway: Flood damage repairs will take place from 24 to 31 October, from 7 am to 6 pm. Expect multiple work sites under temporary speed limits and trucks crossing.

SH82 Waimate to Ikawai: Pavement repairs and surface water cutting will continue until 31 October, weekdays from 7 am to 6 pm. Expect multiple sites of stop/go and 30 km/h temporary speed limits.

SH85 Meadowbank to Glenpark: Rehabilitation work will take place across various locations from 15 September to 19 December, 6 am to 7 pm. Expect stop/go and temporary speed limits.

Measuring Grip: The Science of Safer Roads

You might have seen a bright yellow truck driving slowly along the highway and wondered what it’s doing. That vehicle is part of a system called SCRIM, which stands for Sideway-force Coefficient Routine Investigation Machine. It’s a specialised survey truck used to measure how slippery or grippy the road surface is.

SCRIM trucks collect data on things like:
•     Skid resistance, how well tyres grip the road, especially in wet conditions.
•     Surface texture and roughness, which affects both safety and comfort.
•     Rutting, the grooves that form in the road over time due to heavy traffic.

Using lasers, sensors, and GPS, the truck surveys thousands of kilometres of state highways each year. The information it gathers helps NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi decide where maintenance is needed most, and how to keep roads safe for all users.

SCRIM is a behind-the-scenes tool that plays a big role in making sure our roads are safe, especially in areas with high rainfall or heavy traffic.

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.

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