Motorists in Northland are advised of changes to the road layout on State Highway 1 at the Portland Road intersection, south of Whangarei. The changes will be made overnight Wednesday, January 12 as the intersection upgrade moves into a new phase.

SH1 will be reduced to one lane with stop/go manual traffic management from 7pm on Wednesday, 12 February to allow the changes to be made. The work is weather dependent.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Senior Manager Project Delivery Andrew Thackwray says motorists will notice several changes.

• Temporary steel barriers will be installed on the Portland Road side of SH1 and movable bollards will be installed on the western side.

• There will be a traffic lane in each direction on SH1 but the alignment will be moved to the western side of the highway. This is to provide space for the construction of a new left-hand slip lane into Portland Road and the widening works required to improve the intersection.

• Vehicle access to Loop Road (south) from SH1 will be closed, with the bollards allowing access for pedestrians and cyclists only.

Northbound motorists wanting to access Loop Road or SH15 will continue north on SH1 and turn left at Loop Road (north) where the new roundabout is under construction.

• There will be a new right-hand turn bay on SH1 for vehicles turning into Portland Road. Southbound vehicles turning left into Portland Road will be required to give way to vehicles turning right off SH1.

• While earthworks are underway on the corner of Portland Road, a temporary haul road will operate across Portland Road with periods of manual stop/go traffic control to allow trucks to cross the road.

“We ask motorists to slow down to the temporary speed limit of 50km/h through the new layout and take extra care when turning into Portland Road. Please be vigilant and watch out for our contractors and machinery working close to the road.” says Mr Thackwray.

The Portland Road works are part of a wider project to upgrade SH1 and construct a two-lane roundabout at the Loop Road (north) intersection to improve safety and access for all road users.

For more on the SH1 Loop Road Safety Improvements, see https://nzta.govt.nz/projects/sh1-loop-road-safety-improvements

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