Daytime closures on State Highway 60 Tākaka Hill have been rescheduled and will now begin later in November.
The closures were originally scheduled to begin on Tuesday, 4 November, but will now start on Monday, 24 November through to Friday, 28 November.
Chip-sealing work must be carried out during warm and dry conditions to be effective. The recent wet weather and cooler temperatures have meant that the work must be delayed by a few weeks until more settled weather arrives.
Once the daytime chip-sealing work is complete, night closures will follow when asphalting and general maintenance work will be carried out.
This work completed each year to ensure the highway’s road surface is maintained and kept in a good state of repair.
Works impact:
Daytime closures will be in place for chip sealing from Monday, 24 November to Friday, 28 November, between 9 am and 3:30 pm. During this time, the road will reopen once at 11:30 amto let traffic through.
They will be followed by three weeks of night closures for asphalt resurfacing and other maintenance works - from Sunday, 30 November to Friday, 19 December – between 8 pm and 5:30 am (Sunday – Thursday nights). There will be one opening every night for traffic queued on each side of the hill. Traffic must be queued traffic at the Aaron Creek Road closure point by 12:30 am or at the Riwaka Valley Road closure point by 1 am.
The intention is to complete the work, along with ongoing storm recovery repairs to allow the road to reopen to two lanes, before the busy summer holidays and busier traffic periods.
Why closures are needed:
Full closures are essential if the work is to be completed quickly.
The highway over Tākaka Hill is narrow and space is restricted. Doing this maintenance under stop/go would take far longer to complete and run into the region’s holiday season.
Closures also improve safety for the public and for workers and help reduce traffic management costs.
Delays and disruption can be expected:
NZTA/Waka Kotahi appreciates this work and the ongoing recovery work on the Tākaka Hill will create delays and frustration for drivers, residents, and the local community.
Every effort will be made to minimise its impact, and the day closures have been timed to avoid the school bus run and peak commuting times.
Contractors will also make the most of the closures to carry out additional recovery works at sites that suffered storm damage earlier this year.
State Highway 60 Tākaka Hill is a vital transport link, and this winter’s floods earlier show just how critical it is that NZTA/Waka Kotahi continues to invest in it to strengthen its resilience and reliability.
Drivers are urged to follow all speed limits and traffic management in place while this work is completed. Lower speed limits help reduce traffic damage to newly resurfaced roads. They also help prevent stone chip damage to vehicles.
