Coastal Otago/ greater Dunedin summer highway work underway

Highway repairs and resealing are getting underway on the highways north, south and inland from Dunedin for this summer maintenance season, says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

Called the “Coastal Otago” area by Waka Kotahi, the area encompasses Dunedin City, Waitaki and Clutha Districts, from the Waitaki River south to the Gore District boundary.

“We have a solid and extensive programme of work ahead,” says Jennifer McLean, Maintenance Contract Manager for Waka Kotahi over Coastal Otago.

Highway Highlanders is delivering road reconstruction and resurfacing projects for Waka Kotahi from now until March/April as daylight hours increase, and the warmer temperatures and dry air help new seals stick as intended to the road surface. 

“While we welcome this work and the smoother road conditions each project will bring road users, we also want to remind drivers to take care around our crews and slow to the speed limit. Patience and a friendly wave makes all the difference to them given they work in all weathers, often in quite remote spots.

“If people can build in an extra 20 minutes to their journeys, it will help ease the pressure on everyone and reduce the temptation to make up time if there is a short delay on key routes,” says Mrs McLean.

“Slowing down and following the signage will also help protect the new seal, which will last longer and our crews will not need to return to repair damage.”

Overall, 135 kms of highway lane (ie measured as single lanes) is being fully resealed – all of the key resurfacing on SH1.

Reconstruction work sites this summer:

• SH8 Burma Road intersection, part of the Manuka Gorge Highway, inland from Milton – starting mid-late November.
• SH1 Landon Creek, north of Oamaru – starting December.
• SH1 Bushey, north of Palmerston – starting February.
• SH1 Riccarton Road, East Taieri, south of Dunedin – starting February/March.
• SH88 the road to Port Chalmers, Ravensbourne Road from the Parry St roundabout – starting April.

Resurfacing projects (not a full road reconstruction) – all on SH1 are planned for November through to March. Please note these timeframes are approximate and weather dependent:

• The Deborah Underpass, Oamaru – November.
• The Balclutha Bridge approach – November.
• Andersons Bay Road intersection in Dunedin, where the Southern Motorway meets the one-way street pair through the city – January 2023.
• The Southern Motorway leaving Dunedin, at Abbotsford – February 2023.

The highways will be as free of work and crews as possible in the lead-in to Christmas and the New Year peak holiday periods when most traffic is on the roads. Resurfacing work will continue from mid-January into March/April.

Road users need to keep an eye out for electronic message boards on highways warning them work is programmed or is ahead on the road.

The Waka Kotahi Traffic and Travel page is a good place to check your route before you head off, for any active/underway work sites.

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