Please note this Traffic Bulletin is updated every Friday.

Daily updated closure information

Unless otherwise stated, closures start at 9pm and finish at 5am. Traffic management may be in place before the advertised closure times for the mainline.

NORTHERN MOTORWAY (SH1)

• Southbound lanes between Orewa off-ramp and Silverdale on-ramp, 28-31 July & 1 August
  • Orewa southbound on-ramp, 28-31 July & 1 August
  • Millwater southbound on-ramp, 28-31 July & 1 August
• Northbound lanes between Silverdale off-ramp and Orewa on-ramp, 28-30 July
  • Silverdale northbound on-ramp, 28-30 July
• Onewa Road southbound off-ramp, 31 July & 1 August
• Onewa Road northbound off-ramp, 31 July & 1 August

CENTRAL MOTORWAY JUNCTION (CMJ)

• Eastbound lanes between Wellesley Street East (SH1) off-ramp and Alten Road, 28-31 July & 1 August (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
  • SH1 northbound to SH16 eastbound (Port) link, 28-31 July & 1 August (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
• Eastbound lanes between Wellesley Street East (SH16) off-ramp and Alten Road, 28-31 July & 1 August (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
  • Grafton Road eastbound on-ramp, 28-31 July & 1 August (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)

SOUTHERN MOTORWAY (SH1)

• SH1 southbound to SH20 northbound link, 29 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
  • Redoubt Road southbound on-ramp, 29 July
• SH1 northbound to SH20 northbound link, 29 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
• Southbound lanes between Takanini off-ramp and Drury/SH22 on-ramp, 29 & 31 July-1 August (approx. 9:30pm to 5:00am)
  • Takanini southbound on-ramp, 29 & 31 July-1 August (approx. 9:30pm to 5:00am)
  • Papakura (Loop) southbound on-ramp, 29 & 31 July-1 August (approx. 9:30pm to 5:00am)
  • Papakura (Diamond) southbound on-ramp, 29 & 31 July-1 August (approx. 9:30pm to 5:00am)
• Southbound lanes between Papakura off-ramp and Drury/SH22 on-ramp, 30 July
• Southbound lanes between Papakura off-ramp and Ramarama on-ramp, 28 July
  • Papakura (Loop) southbound on-ramp, 28 & 30 July
  • Papakura (Diamond) southbound on-ramp, 28 & 30 July
  • Drury/SH22 southbound on-ramp, 28 July
• Northbound lanes between Drury/SH22 and Redoubt Road on-ramp, 31 July-1 August (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
  • Takanini northbound on-ramp, 31 July-1 August
• Northbound lanes between Drury/SH22 off-ramp and Takanini on-ramp, 29-30 July
  • Papakura (Diamond) northbound on-ramp, 28-31 July & 1 August
  • Papakura (Loop) northbound on-ramp, 29-31 July & 1 August
• Northbound lanes between Ramarama off-ramp and Papakura on-ramp, 28 July
  • Drury/SH22 northbound on-ramp, 28-31 July & 1 August
  • Ramarama northbound on-ramp, 28 July
• Ridge Road northbound off-ramp, 29 July (approx. 8:30pm to 5:00am)
• Pokeno southbound on-ramp, 30 July & 1 August
• Pokeno northbound off-ramp, 30 July & 1 August
• Hampton Downs northbound off-ramp, 29 July

NORTHWESTERN MOTORWAY (SH16)

• Southbound lanes between Foster Road and Trigg Road, 28 July (approx. 7:00pm to 5:00am)
• Northbound lanes between Trigg Rd and Foster Road, 28 July (approx. 7:00pm to 5:00am)
• Southbound lanes between Waimauku Roundabout and Trigg Road, 31 July (approx. 8:00pm to 5:00am)
• Northbound lanes between Trigg Rd and Waimauku Roundabout, 31 July (approx. 8:00pm to 5:00am)

UPPER HARBOUR MOTORWAY (SH18)

• Hobsonville Road eastbound on-ramp, 29-31 July & 1 August

SOUTHWESTERN MOTORWAY (SH20)

• Southbound lanes between Mahunga Drive off-ramp and Massey Road on-ramp, 1 August (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
  • SH20 southbound to SH20A southbound link, 1 August (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
  • Walmsley Road southbound on-ramp, 1 August
• Southbound lanes between Massey Road off-ramp and Puhinui Road on-ramp, 31 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
  • Massey Road southbound on-ramp, 31 July
• Northbound lanes between Cavendish Drive off-ramp and Massey Road on-ramp, 28 July (approx. 9:30pm to 5:00am)
  • Puhinui Road northbound on-ramp, 28 July (approx. 8:30pm to 5:00am)
  • Cavendish Drive northbound on-ramp, 28 July (approx. 8:30pm to 5:00am)
• Southbound lanes between Puhinui Road off-ramp and SH1 links, 30 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
  • Puhinui Road southbound on-ramp, 30 July
  • Southbound Service Road (Puhinui Road to Cavendish Drive), 30 July
  • Cavendish Drive southbound on-ramp, 30 July
  • Lambie Drive southbound on-ramp, 30 July
  • SH20 southbound to SH1 northbound link, 30 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
  • SH20 southbound to SH1 southbound link, 30 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
• Northbound lanes between Manukau off-ramp and Puhinui Road on-ramp, 29 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
  • Northbound Service Road (Cavendish Drive to Puhinui Road), 29 July
  • Cavendish Drive northbound on-ramp, 29 July
  • Lambie Drive northbound on-ramp, 29 July

GEORGE BOLT MEMORIAL DRIVE (SH20A)

• None planned

PUHINUI ROAD (SH20B)

• None planned

STATE HIGHWAY 22 (SH22)

• None planned

STATE HIGHWAY 2 (SH2)

• None planned

Please follow the signposted detours. NZ Transport Agency thanks you for your co-operation during these essential improvements and maintenance.

Current overnight closure information(external link)  

Auckland roads and public transport 

Stop/stop traffic management (where traffic is held in both directions) will be in place from 9pm to 5am each night – from tonight (Friday) 26 July to Sunday 28 July.

The rockfall occurred overnight on Tuesday, blocking both lanes.

Acting System Manager Ray Edwards says the slip was quickly cleared and the road opened to a single lane with traffic management and a lower speed in place.

“However, a subsequent assessment by geotechnical engineers has found additional rocks which need to be removed as soon as possible.

“The emergency works are critical to ensuring we can get this section of SH2 back to two lanes as quickly and as safely as possible.

“Please expect delays of up to 30 minutes as a result of the works. We’re aware this work will cause significant delays and we hope that by doing it at night, we may be able to minimise disruption to people’s travel,” says Mr Edwards.

The accident happened around 4pm near Douglas Street, and closed SH35 while emergency services attended the scene.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi would like to thank all road users for delaying their travel during this time.

Please drive to the conditions following the earlier closure and expect the possibility of delays while any traffic backlog is cleared.

4.50pm:

A serious crash around 4pm has closed State Highway 35 near Douglas Street at Okitu, just north of Gisborne.

Emergency services are currently at the scene.

The road is expected to be closed until later this evening so please delay your journey or avoid the area if possible.

Please keep up to date on the NZTA Journey Planner.

Journey Planner

NZTA wants to thanks all road users and communities along this section of SH35 for their patience.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) placed a blanket speed reduction on the stretch of highway two days ago after multiple vehicles rolled in fog and black ice in recent days, despite warning signs to slow down.

“The 50km/h signs installed two days ago are designed to be easily covered up when temperatures improve and fog and black ice is not present,” says Mark Pinner, System Manager for the Central South Island for NZTA. “That is likely to be the case for Friday and this weekend, with wind helping to reduce the potential for frosts.”

Crews will check the highway Friday morning and once the temperature is above 0 degrees, the signs will be covered, likely after 10 am.

Snow next week a possibility, south to north Canterbury

Snow is a possibility for early next week, Mr Pinner noted, and it could spread into the North Canterbury alpine passes also – Arthur’s, Porters, Lewis. The Lindis Pass linking Otago and Canterbury and Burkes Pass in South Canterbury could also catch snow. This means the speed restriction south of Tekapo through to Twizel is likely to go back in place Sunday afternoon, 28 July.

People will always need to slow down in icy and foggy conditions, on bridge decks and shaded areas of highway which catch no sun. “Our crews are closely monitoring SH8/the Mackenzie Basin area to keep people safe and ensure the road remains open as much as possible.”

Check before you go

People should check NZTA’s highway map  (and the Twizel MetService page if travelling through the Mackenzie Basin) before setting out around the central and southern South Island, particularly overnight in winter.

• Winter driving tips: Winter driving – NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (nzta.govt.nz)
• Twizel’s MetService forecast: Twizel Weather Forecast and Observations – MetService New Zealand
• MetService warnings page: National Severe Weather Information – MetService is New Zealand’s only authorised provider of Severe Weather Alerts

State Highway 2 / Hawke’s Bay Expressway will be closed between Longlands Road Roundabout and Flaxmere Avenue Roundabout from 8pm til 5am Saturday.

During the closure, Transport Rebuild East Coast (TREC) crews will be repairing median barriers, picking up litter and fixing signage.

The detour, which will also be suitable for heavy vehicles, will take northbound road users onto Maraekakaho Road and left onto York Road before rejoining the expressway. The detour will be in reverse for southbound travellers.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and TREC acknowledge this closure is at short notice and we anticipate possible delays of between 5 and 10 minutes by taking the detour.

NZTA thanks all road users for their support.

A temporary lower speed limit of 30 kilometres per hour will also be in place during construction.

The new shared path will be attached to the existing road bridge and requires two new foundations on either side of the river. Steel brackets will be attached to the 14 existing bridge piers and the 15 bridge truss sections will span the 220 metre length.

To construct these foundations, the southbound lane of the bridge must remain closed 24/7, requiring stop/go traffic management.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is advising road users to expect delays of no more than 4-5 minutes during peak hour traffic while this work takes place.

The work to install foundations is expected to be completed in December and the shared path completed by February 2025. Stop/go traffic management will be removed ahead of Christmas. This means the road is expected to be fully open for the holiday period to minimise disruption.

Road users will likely see crews on site from the end of July working to install temporary traffic lights at both ends of the bridge.

NZTA acknowledges the potential for disruption during this construction period and is confident that delays can be minimised by being able to keep one lane of the bridge open and under stop/go traffic management.

Ōtaki shared path project page

You can get in touch with the project team here: email hidden; JavaScript is required.

After heavy rain in 2023, an underslip developed approximately 500 metres south of the Mangorewa track carpark. Geotechnical investigations are complete, and repairs are due to start on 2 worksites from Monday 5 August. 

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) advises work will take approximately 6 weeks to complete, weather permitting, and road users should plan ahead. 

The first 2 weeks of work require daytime closures Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm between Pyes Pā roundabout and Hamurana. Access during this time will be for residents only. Outside of these hours, 1 lane will be closed with stop/go traffic lights in place.  

The following 4 weeks of work will require permanent stop/go traffic management. 

Contractors will be cutting into the bank to realign the road. This work requires a large amount of heavy machinery, and the daytime closures are required to keep the travelling public and workers safe. 

Following the initial 2-week closure, a further 2 slips will be repaired about 200m south of Te Waerenga Road. This will involve retaining and rehabilitating the existing road. During this work there will be permanent stop/go traffic management in place. 

Crews will be undertaking maintenance works in addition to the slip repairs, to make the most of the traffic management in place. 

During the full closure the detour for all vehicles travelling between Pyes Pā Road and Hamurana will be via SH29A, SH2 Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road (or Te Puke Highway), continuing to SH33 through Paengaroa, then SH30 and SH30A through Rotorua, turning right onto SH5 and rejoining SH36 at Ngongotahā. 

NTZA appreciates road users’ understanding while this vital work to repair the highway is being completed.