Significant changes to the road layout on State Highway 1 (SH1), near the Pūhoi intersection, are scheduled to take place from this week as part of the Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth project.

With work on the new motorway connections progressing, the focus for the southern end of the project is completing the construction of the Pūhoi on and off ramps.

This next phase involves changing the current northbound road layout at the Southern Connection as the team works in areas currently used by SH1 traffic.

Northbound travellers will exit at the Pūhoi northbound off-ramp and be directed onto a short section of Pūhoi Road before moving onto the existing SH1.

A temporary speed limit of 30km/h will be in place, and there will be traffic management (stop/go at peak times and temporary traffic signals at off-peak times) to assist with access to and from Pūhoi village.

Southbound traffic will continue to use the same route, however the southbound Pūhoi on-ramp will move towards its final layout of one lane with north bound traffic no longer using the ramp.

On Sunday 26 March, night works will be carried out to reconfigure the road layout at the Pūhoi off-ramp. The new road layout will be in place from the morning of Monday 27 March and remain in place until the safer, more resilient and reliable motorway opens in the coming months.

There are night works associated with new layout change in the south and tie-in works in the north. Plan ahead for the following closures between 9pm and 5am:

• Full SH1 northbound and southbound at the Johnstone Hill Tunnels, signposted detours via Hibiscus Coast Highway or SH16
• Sunday 26 March - Thursday 30 March
• Sunday 2 April - Wednesday 5 April
• Tuesday 11 April - Thursday 13 April
• Full SH1 closure northbound and southbound from Warkworth to Wellsford, signposted detour in place via SH16, this detour will add up to 30 minutes to the journey.
• Sunday 26 March - Thursday 30 March

Waka Kotahi asks road users to take care while they adjust to the new road layout and adhere to the temporary speed limits. Allow extra time when travelling through this area, especially during peak periods including Easter.People are encouraged to travel outside peak hours if they can or leave earlier than they normally would.

In the event of bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances, this work may be moved to the next suitable night/s. Road users are encouraged to visit the NX2 website, Facebook page and Waka Kotahi Journey Planner website for up to date information.

Waka Kotahi and NX2 would like to thank local residents and motorists for their patience while we undertake this important work.

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