A month of delays are set for State Highway 60 over the Tākaka Hill to allow for maintenance according to Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
Waka Kotahi system manager Top of the South, Andrew James says annual summer maintenance including asphalting and chipsealing will be carried out during the month.
Stop/go traffic management will be in place for two weeks beginning on Tuesday, 7 February to Tuesday, 21 February.
Then, between Sunday, 26 February and the morning of Friday, 17 March, every Sunday to Thursday, there will be night closures of the road with a short opening around 1am for queued traffic.
"It'll see resealing of parts of the road on both sides of the hills and other maintenance work, such as clearing water channels and fixing slips and guard rails,” Andrew says of the work.
“Because of the road's narrowness and to keep contractors safe, the road must be closed at night while this work is done. This also allows contractors to get work done much faster.”
Andrew says Waka Kotahi is conscious of the need to maintain access for residents and tourists over the busy summer period.
“This is why we’re choosing to do stop/go traffic control during the day while the works are underway. We want to ensure road access is available.
“However, drivers should expect and plan for delays when crossing the Tākaka Hill. It is also important they observe speed limits in road work areas and follow the instructions of our contractors. We need to keep our road crews safe, and we also want drivers to get to their destinations safely too.”
Andrew says he understands the road works will be inconvenient for residents and regular road users.
“The nature of the materials we are working with, particularly asphalt, means some of this work has to be done during the day. We can’t lay the material successfully under colder night-time conditions.
“This work is crucial if we are to keep the road resilient over the coming winter, and I want to thank locals for their patience as our contractors get it done.”
The roadworks are weather dependent and may be rescheduled.
Daytime Stop/Go traffic controls:
Night closures:
