Following public consultation, a new speed limit of 80km/h has been confirmed for SH2 at Moonshine Hill Road to north of Whakatiki Street. The new permanent speed limit was approved by the Director of Land Transport and is in effect from 1 December 2025.
SH2 River Road, which is between Silverstream Bridge and Whakatiki Street in Upper Hutt is busy stretch of highway. It is used by approximately 29,261 vehicles daily on average and connects the Hutt Valley and Wellington regions to the Wairarapa. Just under 2,000 heavy vehicles use this stretch of road daily on average. It is a challenging stretch of highway because the only detour is via Fergusson Drive through Upper Hutt.
Riverstone Terraces is home to around 1,800 residents and just over 600 dwellings, and the Moonshine Hill Road intersection is the main access to the suburb of Riverstone Terraces.
A lower speed will help make the intersection safer and more efficient. It means:
Rather than slowing traffic down, the aim is to make it flow more smoothly and predictably for everyone.
Intersection upgrade SH2 Upper Hutt Moonshine Hill Road at Riverstone Terraces
We've considered factors such as crash data, the road characteristics and activity (described above), traffic volumes and the speeds people are travelling.
Community concerns about safety and speed align with our assessment that proposing an 80km/h speed limit best supports the new traffic lights being constructed soon.
Construction of safety infrastructure to support a higher speed limit would not reach the threshold in our safety priorities to attract funding. An 80km/h speed limit aligns with the adjacent northern SH2 intersection, creating a more consistent environment for road users, and it aligns with the speed limit range specified by the Rule for this road type: interregional connector.
|
Location |
Road length |
Previous speed limit |
New permanent speed limit from 1 December 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
SH2 Upper Hutt Approaching intersection with Moonshine Hill Road intersection to north of Whakatiki Street. |
2.4km |
100 km/h |
80 km/h |
View larger speed limit review consultation map [PDF, 190 KB]
We held a consultation on the proposed speed limit change from 100km/h to 80km/h on SH2, from Moonshine Hill Road to north of Whakatiki Street. The consultation invited feedback on the proposal and on any local factors that should be taken into account. Submissions for this consultation closed on 12 September 2025.
Before making a recommendation to the Director of Land Transport, we considered all feedback received during public consultation and reviewed it alongside technical and safety assessments.
Moonshine speed limit consultation report [PDF, 827 KB]
Under the Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024, NZTA must consider:
This information is presented in a Cost Benefit Disclosure Statement (CBDS):
View the full CBDS for this speed limit review (100 to 80km/h) [PDF, 146 KB]
As the speed limit is decreasing from 100 km/h to 80 km/h over this section, the expected travel time increase for both light and heavy vehicles is 11-12 seconds. (Noting at 100km/h, a 90km/h speed limit applies to heavy and towing vehicles.)
It is estimated that there will be a 26% decrease in injury crashes now the speed limit has changed from 100km/h to 80km/h.
Now the speed limit is changing from 100 km/h to 80 km/h, implementation costs will be approximately $50,000.
This proposal aligns with the Government’s Road Safety Objectives which include taking a balanced and targeted approach to speed limits by considering safety, economic impacts – including travel times – and community views.
