District:
Motorists are advised of a heavy vehicle rolling on Te Ngae Road in Rotorua, near the intersection with Tarawera Road.
It happened shortly before 10am. The vehicle was a heavy truck loaded with a digger.
The west-bound lane is blocked and there are diversions in place.
Motorists are advised to expect delays.
There are no injuries.
ENDS
The $6.8 million SH60 project is funded through the Government’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund designed to deliver safety improvements around the country. Work began in August.
SH60 Motueka safety improvements project
“High Street is a busy road with lots of people driving, walking and cycling,” says Emma Speight, Director Regional Relationships for Waka Kotahi.
“The new signalised crossing will help people get across the road more safely. The signalised intersection, the first one in Motueka, will also make it easier for people driving and cycling to turn onto High Street from the side streets.
“Completing the traffic signals at the Pah/Greenwood/High Streets intersection as well as the pedestrian signals at the High Street crossing, has progressed well. Crews will be out of everyone’s way over the Christmas/ New Year break.
“A lot of people have heard the saying ‘you never turn right in Motueka’, and once our project is fully completed, we know the traffic signals will make everyone’s travels easier and safer,” Ms Speight says.
Andrea Smith Principal/Tumuaki for Parklands School/ Te Kura o Pakarana says the new traffic signals near the school will make a huge difference for students and parents. “This intersection has felt dangerous when our students have tried to cross the road. With the controlled crossings, we hope to see more of our students being comfortable walking, scootering, or cycling to school, knowing they can do so in a safer manner.”
Brent Maru, chair of the Motueka Community Board, congratulated Waka Kotahi and the contracting team for getting stage one completed before Christmas. “It is very pleasing to see the voice of our community and the result of several years of consultation and planning about to be realised.
“Among many residents and organisations who have advocated for the improvements, I would like to remember and acknowledge Motueka resident Jim Butler who continuously challenged both the Community Board and Government for improvements to SH60.
“To our businesses on State Highway 60, High Street, thank you for your patience.”
People will first notice the pedestrian and traffic signals flashing amber around 10am on 2 December, to alert people to the activation underway. Once activated, all signals will go red, stopping everyone. Then the phased sequence will start to let traffic flow.
The traffic signals at the Pah/ Greenwood/ High Street intersection will also have lights for people crossing the road on foot, like the pedestrian crossing signals on High Street, north of Wallace Street. People wanting to cross the road will need to press the button which will signal that someone is waiting to cross. The light display for pedestrians will show a red person and when it is safe to cross, a green person.
Waka Kotahi will be pausing construction during the peak summer break, from mid-December to 11 February, to ensure minimal disruption to businesses along High Street and to the Motueka community.
“We thank everyone for their patience and working with our detours and road closures while we complete this important work for Motueka. We are aiming to have the full project completed by the end of April next year,” says Ms Speight.
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State Highway 6 will close at 10 pm, reopen for 15 minutes at midnight, then stay closed through to 6 am Tuesday.
“The deck of the bailey bridge has to be jacked up and the pier cap replaced onto new piles,” says Waka Kotahi Maintenance Contract Manager Moira Whinham. “The pier cap then needs to be welded in place and the deck fixed down, prior to opening the road to daytime traffic at 6 am.”
Emergency services will be allowed through but everyone else who uses the highway overnight needs to plan around this closure, she says.
“There is a lot of work to do in the time and we appreciate this will be an inconvenience for some overnight freight operators.”
The work is weather dependent so if it is wet it will be shifted to the next night. Electronic signs will update road users each day.
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District:
Police are warning to motorists to delay any travel on the West Coast because of heavy rain in the area, which is particularly affecting South Westland.
SH6 is closed in several places in the area due to slips and flooding.
The MetService has issued an orange heavy rain warning for the entire West Coast and flooding may occur across the region.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
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State Highway 30 between Ātiamuri and State Highway 5 intersection
These works are part of the Waka Kotahi spring/summer road maintenance programme, which will see repairs and resurfacing carried out on state highways across the Bay of Plenty.
The works comprise of eight chipseal sites on State Highway 30, between the State Highway 1 intersection at Ātiamuri and State Highway 5 intersection and will take place between 7am and 5pm.
The sites will operate under Stop/Go traffic management with a 30km/h temporary speed limit in place during the work.
Motorists are advised to expect delays of up to 15 minutes the day after works.
It is important motorists adhere to the relevant temporary speed limits during these works to ensure their safety and that of other road users and road workers and avoid damage to their vehicles.
For at least 24 hours after a site has been sealed, and before it is swept, it continues to operate under a reduced temporary speed limit of 50km/h while vehicles travel over the seal and help “bed in” the chip and to reduce the risk of chip damaging windscreens. The site is then swept, excess chip is removed, and the temporary speed limit remains in place until line marking has been reinstated (within 48 hours of the site being sealed, weather dependent).
State Highway 2 – Pikowai / Matatā straights
Maintenance to remove branches overhanging SH2 in Pikowai will take place on Tuesday 30 November between the hours of 9am and 3pm.
The site will operate under Stop/Go traffic management with a 30km/h temporary speed limit in place during the work. In order to ensure safety whilst the work is completed, temporary road closures of up to 10 minutes will take place.
Waka Kotahi thanks motorists for their patience.
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The slip lane was used as a detour during winter and requires repairing, stabilising and sealing before the dual lane roundabout can be opened. This work is scheduled to take place from Tuesday 30 November to Friday 3 December, weather dependent. The roundabout remains single lane in each direction and traffic management will be in place with a 30km/h temporary speed limit.
At evening peak travel times, significant delays of 30 – 45 minutes are anticipated for motorists traveling from Rotorua to Hamilton, Ngongotahā and destinations north of Ngongotahā. Waka Kotahi encourages those who are able to do so, to time their travel for outside peak times, particularly in the evening; work from home; allow extra time for travel or use alternative routes.
Signs are in place to advise road users of the upcoming delays.
Work will take place during daytime only, due to a variety of machinery required to complete repair, stabilising and sealing works. If work is impacted by weather or other unforeseen issues, it will be carried out on the next suitable day.
This is one of the last pieces of work required to complete the roundabout upgrade. When this work is completed, contractors will continue work on the raised safety platforms in the bypass lanes, apply final line marking and finish the remaining driveways, footpath and landscaping.
Waka Kotahi thanks motorists, local residents and businesses for their patience.
Road users are asked to keep to the speed limits and watch out for crews on the roadside. Safety is our priority and we want everyone to get home safely.
We acknowledge the project has caused additional delays, especially for people who travel through the site on a regular basis. We’d like to thank everyone for their ongoing patience as the works to upgrade the Ngongotahā roundabout and to improve roadside safety along SH5 continue.
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The prestigious award celebrates innovative heritage projects that have delivered value to a community, iwi, organisation, environment, education, or wider New Zealand society.
Opened in Blenheim at the end of 2020, the Ōpaoa River Bridge project provided a safer, stronger State Highway 1 bridge across the Ōpaoa River, as well as repurposing the heritage Opawa Bridge* for walking and cycling and a community gathering space.
Engineering NZ said the project delivered on all three of the award’s criteria – clear vision, engagement with all the right people, and a great impact on the local community.
“Thought, care, research and collaboration has gone into not just retaining the historic bridge, but in making sure it has wide use and relevance for communities today and in the future. The lasting relationships built during this project also made it stand out,” says Cindy Jemmett, Engineering New Zealand Heritage Advisor.
“It’s a top honour for a top project,” says Waka Kotahi Senior Project Manager Andrew Adams. “It is fitting recognition for a special project that called on expertise from across the organisation.
“The Ōpaoa River bridge is a critical piece of infrastructure for State Highway 1 and the top of the South Island/Te Wai Pounamu. While we had to deliver a safe new piece of infrastructure, it was also important to give the heritage bridge a renewed life, recognise the history and influence of mana whenua, and create a place for people to relax, remember and reflect.
“I’m very proud of the work of our wider team to create a fantastic new bridge, repurpose the existing heritage bridge, and create a beautiful place that the community can be proud of.”
The project team worked closely with mana whenua iwi Te Rūnanga a Rangitāne O Wairau, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, and Ngāti Rārua to incorporate cultural and spiritual aspects into the project and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and Marlborough District Council to ensure the designs were sympathetic and suitable.
As well as walking and cycling facilities, the repurposed Opawa Bridge offers community space to hold local events, complete with a courtyard, interpretative panels, gateway signage, and Pou Whenua.
Completion of the Ōpaoa River Bridge project.
The award-winning gateway to Blenheim.
The old banana bridge panels lit up.
*The Ōpaoa River was known as the Opawa River until 2014, when it was officially changed as part of a Treaty of Waitangi settlement, to correct the spelling of the river’s name.
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Monday 29 November 2021 is Westland Anniversary Day so more people will be travelling around the West Coast this weekend.
MetService has put an orange heavy rain warning over much of the West Coast (Fiordland north) for this weekend, with up to 400mm of rain in some places. Saturday could be very wet.
“Please take extra care, check the forecast before you head out and the traffic and travel map,” says Tresca Forrester, Waka Kotahi Journey Manager.
“People should be ready for stormy weather across the Coast from South Westland north and on the alpine passes. Heavy rain can reduce visibility for drivers so keep your lights on if that is the case.
“Waka Kotahi crews are prepared and ready to respond in the event of slips and localised flooding,” she says.
Waka Kotahi West Coast traffic
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