The Marlborough grape harvest will run until mid-April, with peak activity expected in March. Harvest time sees more heavy agricultural equipment – harvesters and grape trucks – on the roads, as vineyards bring their grapes in for pressing and processing.

This will affect the wider Marlborough region –  from Koromiko in the north to Ward in the south and along the Wairau Valley to the west. Road users can expect activity on all state highways – SH1, SH6, SH62, and SH63.

Drivers must be aware of harvest season activities, particularly around vineyards, and take extra care on the roads.

Extra caution will be needed when overtaking. Drivers must check their passing distances, look out for oncoming traffic, and for trucks and harvesters entering and leaving vineyard areas.

NZ Transport Agency/Waka Kotahi summer maintenance programme also means there are a number of work sites throughout the region as well as the construction of the new roundabout on State Highway 6 at the intersection of Bells and St Leonards roads. Drivers should factor these works into their travel plans.

A stretch of State Highway 1, at the southern entrance to Foxton, will be under stop/go traffic management between Sunday 3 March and Tuesday 5 March as crews make progress on the Levin to Foxton safety improvements project.

The work will take place each night between 6pm and 6am.

During the day, the site will be open to two lanes of traffic. At all times, the temporary speed limit of 30 km/h, which is already in place, will apply.

Please keep to the temporary speed limit to keep workers and other road users safe, and plan for a potential delay through the site.

State Highway 1 safety improvements

Crews currently working on the turnaround facility at the southern entry to Foxton are making good progress and expect to have the facility open for use towards the middle of the year.

The facility is designed to provide a safe place for road users to turn around once the flexible median barrier has been installed in the area.

A date for installation of the flexible median barrier is to be confirmed. We will provide more information on this, including what traffic management will be in place once this is available.

New turning facilities, flexible median and side barrier installation and a new roundabout will feature as part of the project.

As different stages of the project get underway, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi will keep road users up to date with changes to traffic management, through traffic bulletins and on our Journey Planner.

The Hickey Road intersection with SH1 has been the site of too many serious and fatal crashes, and the turnaround – along with the installation of median barriers – will be a big step towards preventing further deaths and serious injuries.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi Regional Manager for Infrastructure Delivery, Jo Wilton, says the safety improvements project is making great progress and is approaching the final stages.

“Getting the turnarounds built is a crucial part of the safety work, because they enable traffic to safely change direction,” she explains. “Hickey Road will be the fifth turnaround between Cambridge and Piarere, and once finished, we can install more flexible median and side safety barriers, which help prevent head-on and off-road crashes. We are also widening the road at the weigh station on SH1.”

J Swap Contractors will begin constructing the turnaround bay, north of Hickey Road, on Monday 4 March. The work is expected to be completed by early June 2024, subject to weather. They are also working on the current construction of turnarounds at Gorton and Tunakawa Roads and successfully completed the turnarounds at Keeley’s Reserve and Hydro Road.

Construction hours are 7am – 6pm Monday to Saturday, with no work on Sunday or public holidays, and temporary traffic management will be in place during construction. The impact on SH1 traffic is expected to be minor, although there will be speed restrictions in place, so some delay to journeys is anticipated.

Residents located within the work site, between the end of the Waikato Expressway and Hydro Road, will only be able to enter and exit their properties via left-in/left-out turning movements, as the SH1 southbound lane will be diverted into the centre median for duration of construction. The Hickey Road intersection will also be left-in/left-out during this time.

Planning work continues on a proposed roundabout at the intersection of Karāpiro Road and SH1.

Once the median barrier is installed, the left-in/left-out arrangement will remain, and Ms Wilton explains that people driving will need to make use of the turnaround bays to change direction.

“We appreciate this does mean a change to the way you use the road, and we acknowledge the changes will be inconvenient for some people. As well as saving lives and preventing crash trauma, the safety upgrades will result in fewer crashes which will mean the highway is more efficient. Each crash has the potential to impact highway traffic flow for up to several hours. We thank the community for their support and understanding so far and while we finish this work.”

For more on the project, visit our SH1 Cambridge and Piarere page.

SH1 Cambridge to Piarere safety improvements

The lines company will carry out upgrades and improvements adjacent to State Highway 1 from Kaparu Road/Grassmere Road to Marfells Beach Road on 5 and 7 March.

Because the power lines cross the state highway at three separate locations in the project area, a series of brief road closures will be necessary to ensure drivers are kept safe when the old power lines are removed and replaced.

These closures, which are expected to create 30-minute traffic delays, are scheduled to happen between 9 am and 3 pm on March 5 and 7.

There are no local road detours available.

Drivers travelling on State Highway 1 between Blenheim and Kaikoura must be aware of this work, and also ongoing State Highway maintenance work around Seddon. The Seddon works are ongoing until 15 March

Summer maintenance works for State Highway 1 Seddon

Drivers can expect short travel delays from these roadworks and it is essential they factor them into their travel plans. This is especially important for people with ferry connections in Picton.

Paparoa Oakleigh Road is now open in both directions following a logging truck rolling on the road earlier today.

A 30 km/h speed limit is in place around the immediate area and we ask that drivers please slow down and take care over this section of road.

We would like to thank motorists for their patience and co-operation during this time.

3.38pm:

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) Director Regional Relationships Steve Mutton is assuring motorists and the Paparoa Oakleigh community that NZTA is working hard to support the Northland network following a logging truck rolling on Paparoa Oakleigh Road earlier today.

“The road is currently closed in both directions with recovery crews onsite now assessing the damage. While we don’t yet have a timeframe for reopening, we will let people know as soon as the road has been cleared to reopen.

“Today marks the first day of the SH1 Brynderwyn Hills closure and while this is not what we had hoped for, our teams have planned for any events like this on the detour routes and have been able to respond swiftly.

“In the meantime, light vehicles will need to detour via Waipu Cove Road and heavy trucks and HPMV’s must use State Highways 12 and 14 through Dargaville and on to Whangārei” says Steve Mutton.

Traffic management is currently managing the incident site and moving detour traffic onto SH12/14.

“It’s important that people drive to the conditions, it is raining so please slow down and take extra care as you adapt to taking a different route. People should also plan ahead and allow extra time to complete their journey.

“We thank all motorists for their co-operation on these detour routes as we begin the critical recovery and enabling works on the SH1 Brynderwyn Hills for the immediate to medium term” says Steve Mutton.

A 24/7 single lane closure and a combination of stop-go and traffic light controls will be in place from Monday 11 March until Friday 7 June to fix two existing slips caused by severe weather events last year.

While significant emergency repair work has taken place over the last twelve months, crews now need to strengthen the road to ensure it can withstand any future weather events.

A lane closure is the most efficient way to fix the two existing slips and realign and strengthen the road. The work will also upgrade culverts and drainage to mitigate flooding and improve the roading network.

The road will be re-opened to 2 lanes of traffic over Easter weekend (12pm Thursday 28 March to 11:59pm Monday 1 April) to minimise disruption as much as possible.

People are urged to plan ahead and use the NZTA Journey Planner for real time traffic information.

NZTA thanks motorists in advance for their patience as we carry out this important work.