Information about planned maintenance work and projects to improve the state highways in the Taranaki region.
Through October and November, work to rebuild the road surface will be carried out at a number of sites on SH3 between Midhirst and Inglewood, south of New Plymouth.
To help us complete the work more quickly and reduce delays to motorists a detour will be in place for southbound traffic while work is carried out.
Southbound traffic will be detoured from the SH3/SH3A intersection in Inglewood, returning to SH3 at the Beaconsfield Road intersection in Midhirst via Tarata, Kaimata and Salisbury Roads.
The detour (pictured below) will be clearly signposted, and the road will be maintained as if it were a state highway during this time, subject to a temporary speed limits.
The detour will add an additional 15–25 minutes to the journey.
During the 2020/21 construction season we undertook a large programme of work to address as many issues on the Taranaki network as possible.
Thank you for your patience while we undertook this work.
We are currently planning our 2021/22 maintenance programme. In the coming months we will be updating this page with information on this programme.
For information on current road works visit the Journey Planner website.
Journey Planner(external link)
Please drive carefully through work sites, keep to the temporary speed limits and be respectful of our crews who are working hard to maintain the roads.
Roundabouts for high risk intersections and safety barriers are currently being designed. Initial safety improvements such as wide centrelines and removal of passing lanes were implemented summer 2021.
With support from the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is undertaking a project to seal 12km of unsealed road through the Tangarakau Gorge. Other improvements for the route are also underway with support from with support from the from the regional package of the NZ Upgrade Programme.
Improvements are underway on SH3 from Awakino Gorge to Mt Messenger to improve safety, resilience and route availability. This 58km section of SH3 is Taranaki’s main route north, it runs through rough terrain and is winding and narrow.
