Drive safe around roadworks in Central Otago/Queenstown Lakes this summer

Road users can expect to see plenty of activity on the state highways in Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes districts over the next few months, as the summer road maintenance season moves into full swing.

More people working on the roads means an increased risk of accidents and injuries, so motorists are being asked to take extra care around worksites during the summer construction season.

“We understand people can get stressed travelling on busy highways, especially in warmer conditions,” says Peter Standring, Maintenance Contract Manager with New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, across the two Central Otago districts.

“But just like we want travellers to get where they are going safely, we want our roading team from Aspiring Highways to get home safely to their families. A bit of patience behind the wheel goes a long way. Where we see dangerous driving behaviour, police will be contacted.”

“We will be resealing about 67 lane kilometres* of carriageway this season. Road users should be prepared for temporary speed limit reductions and delays up to 10 minutes.”

Resealing programme

• SH8 Raes Junction to Dairy Creek (just north of Clyde) – November 2025.
• SH 8 Cromwell to Blue Gums/Tarras – December 2025.
• SH85 Omakau to Kyeburn – December 2025.
• SH8A Luggate-Tarras Road – January 2026.
• SH6 Albert Town to Queenstown – January 2026.
• SH6 Queenstown to Kingston – February 2026.

“In addition to the resealing programme, we will also be carrying out important work at a number of sites to reconstruct roads and build up resilience,” Mr Standring says.

Significant works

• SH6 Scrubby Gully resilience works, Cromwell side of the Kawarau Gorge – August-October 2025.
• SH8 Bendigo Terrace road reconstruction, north of Cromwell heading toward the Lindis Pass – August-December 2025.
• SH6 Nevis Bluff spring scaling – October-November 2025.
• SH8 Stableburn road reconstruction, near Millers Flat – November 2025-March 2026.
• SH8 Dip Creek culvert replacement, in the Lindis Pass – January-March 2026.
• SH8/8B Deadman’s Point thin asphalt construction, intersection at the Cromwell Bridge – February 2026.
• SH8A Luggate Bridge general maintenance – timing to be determined.

Work to improve the roads, like the below at Bendigo Terrace, will be happening around Central Otago this summer.

“The impacts of this work on traffic will vary from full temporary road closures to traffic management that results in delays, depending on the nature of the work,” Mr Standring says.

“We’ll be doing our best to minimise that impact on road users. We thank everybody for their patience over the spring and summer months as we carry out the work to provide better, safer roading and infrastructure for everyone across Central Otago”.

Weekly updates on the maintenance work underway on Otago state highways can be found here, with an option to subscribe:

Otago state highway maintenance programme

*Lane kilometres are used to show the full scale of work being completed, and is more accurate than lineal metres, as some sections of road being renewed will have passing lanes or dual carriageway eg 1 kilometre of road that has dual carriageway in both directions equates to 4 lane kilometres.