NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) contractors will be rebuilding a section of State Highway 1 through Kawakawa from Sunday (16 March).

The project will reconstruct the highway on both sides of the railway tracks, as well as where the highway crosses the tracks. However, the pavement lane for the railway itself will not be rebuilt. The road will then be resurfaced with asphalt either side of the tracks, with enhanced surfacing treatments at the points where the highway crosses the tracks for improved safety.

Work will take place overnight between the SH1/State Highway 11 roundabout and approximately 35m north of Rayner Street overnight from 8pm – 5am, Sunday to Thursday nights, to minimise disruption.

Stop/go traffic management will be in place during the works, and a 30km/h temporary speed limit will remain in place 24 hours for the duration.

There will be no parking along this section of SH1 (the main street of Kawakawa) Sunday to Thursday nights, from 6pm to 6am. At different stages of the works, access to SH1 will be closed from Vogel St,

Commercial St, Wynyard St, Albert St and Gillies St, with detours in place via Gillies St, Church St and

Commercial St.

There will be increased noise for residents and businesses in the area. Travel delays are expected to be less than 5minutes. We encourage road users to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.

Work is expected to be completed on Thursday 17 April.

Access for residents and emergency services will be maintained throughout the works.

Please be patient and treat our crews with kindness and respect. Reduce your speed, adhere to the temporary speed limits and follow the directions of traffic management staff and signs.

Rebuilding the road, which often involves replacing all or most of the structural road layers, improves the longevity of the network, the resilience and ultimately the safety and efficiency for all road users.

This summer maintenance period (September 2024 to May 2025), we’re investing in the largest road rebuild programme ever for the region, with Northland one of three regions across Aotearoa with the most significant road rebuild programmes over the next three years.

This work is weather dependent and there may be changes to the planned works in the case of unsuitable weather. Please visit the NZTA Journey Planner website (journeys.nzta.govt.nz) for up-to-date information on these works, including any changes due to weather.

For more information about the overall maintenance programme and planned works, visit the Northland State Highway Maintenance Programme website: https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/regions/northland/roadworks

You can now sign up to receive email updates on upcoming road maintenance:

• For North Auckland (from SH16 north of Woodhill & SH1 north of Warkworth to Wellsford), sign up here.
• For Northland (from Topuni to Cape Reinga), sign up here.

NZTA thanks everyone for their understanding and support while we carry out this essential maintenance to improve the safety and efficiency of Northland’s state highway network.

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