With summer officially underway, highway reseals and re-surfacing are also progressing in greater Christchurch, Selwyn District and North Canterbury, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

Highway repairs and reseals generally start around September in Canterbury and run through to late March/early April, making the most of the warmer road and air temperatures which contribute to a successful, lasting sealing process and smoother roads for drivers.

The big shape

Nine lane kms (ie single lanes not a double lane width highway) will be fully replaced and fresh asphalt laid at nine sites in the greater north and central Canterbury area.

An additional 90 lane kms of highway will have a thin layer of asphalt applied/ re-sealed over multiple sites.

Overall the work will start at the North Canterbury NZTA’s maintenance team’s Kaikōura northern border and work south back to Selwyn District and Arthur’s Pass.

How will this affect me?

Of the eight major North and Central Canterbury projects, four will happen overnight, with midnight openings where required and the work well advertised in advance.

• In January/February 2025, work will get underway on SH7 the Lewis Pass route at Weka Pass, Handyside Stream (two sites on SH7, west of the Hanmer Springs turn-off) and SH73 west of Porters Pass.

Road users should keep an eye out for electronic signs warning of delays and timings in the days ahead of these operations.

Four sites have to occur during the day using Stop/Go manual traffic management and involving up to 20 minutes delays.

• These are north of Clarence, SH1, (30 km north of Kaikōura) (February/ March 2025), the Benmore Straight (almost finished as of early November) and Castle Hill, both on SH73, in Selwyn District (currently underway through to December).
• The fourth site is on the Akaroa highway, SH75 Birdlings Flat - underway in the New Year - January/February.

Reseals/less invasive road work

Most of these sites will only involve five-minute delays for drivers and other road users. Places with tighter bends and less room for machinery to manoeuvre, around the Kaikōura Coast, may involve 20-minute delays.

What else?

NZTA’s engineers and road crews will also be working on essential structures like bridges, culverts and retaining walls over the summer. If you see road cones and signs asking you to slow down, even if you can’t see people, please slow down as people may be out of sight but nearby, says NZTA.

Signs asking people to slow down also protect your vehicle and windscreen from flying chipseal as the seal is being bedded in place. Vehicles travelling fast in these circumstances can undo all the good work, so take it easy.

During this summer construction season in greater Canterbury road users should generally expect:

• Five-20 minutes delay per site.
• For long distance journeys during daytime, maybe up to 60 minutes in delays.
• At some sites longer closure times may be needed – up to close to an hour daytimes.
• Longer duration closures will generally occur overnight eg for several hours or a full nightshift. Openings for traffic will be provided if practicable and with consideration for ferry sailings (SH1 corridor via Kaikōura and Blenheim).

“Allow plenty of time for travel over the summer months, check the NZTA Journey Planner website before any long-distance journeys, and be patient around any roadworks and delays encountered,” says NZTA’s System Manager for Canterbury and the West Coast Mark Pinner.

This work forms part of the government’s $2.07 billion investment into road and drainage renewal and maintenance across 2024-27 via the State Highway Pothole Prevention fund.

Quick tips for happy summer travel

Remember, there will be delays on key routes.

Drivers should check road conditions before they travel – Waka Kotahi’s traffic pages(external link) and MetService for weather forecasts(external link)

Always take care when driving through road work sites and follow the temporary speed restrictions to ensure everyone stays safe. Our crews work year-round, they deserve to be safe.

Keeping your speed down where sealing work is underway or has just been completed not only helps chip to settle in the new road surface, it will also prevent stone chips flying into windscreens and protect road workers from injuries.

Leave about two car lengths between you and the car in front, four if the weather is bad.

Even if you can’t see workers on the road or it looks like works are finished when you come across a temporary speed limit sign, safety hazards may still be present. There could be loose chip from a recent re-seal, workers underneath a culvert or bridge or on the side of the road.

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