Ahead of the upcoming closure of State Highway 1 (SH1) Brynderwyn Hills for critical restoration work, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) has been working with our partners to ensure detour routes are as safe and as high quality as possible for people and goods.

All detour routes are progressing well and are on schedule for the closure on Monday 26 February.

Steve Mutton, Director Regional Relationships NZTA says that crews have been preparing SH12 and SH14 for heavy vehicles while working closely with the Northland Transportation Alliance on local detour routes for light vehicles including Cove Road and Paparoa Oakleigh Road.

High productivity motor vehicles (HPMV) must use SH12/14, which is also the suggested detour route for heavy vehicles.

Local detour routes via Cove Road or Paparoa Oakleigh Road are recommended for light vehicles.

“We recognise these detours will take longer, especially for freight, which is why we will be working as quickly as possible to carry out this important work.

“We encourage people to use it as an opportunity to explore Northland and have an adventure while travelling along the scenic routes.

“The suggested detour via SH12 and SH14 offers some great places to stop along the way and the Cove Road route provides a great opportunity to take a break and enjoy beaches on their travels” says Mr Mutton.

People are also urged to drive to the conditions over the summer and keep a lookout for our roadworkers still hard at work over the break.

How will the detour routes affect my journey time*?

*Detour route times and distance Auckland to Whangārei (average car journey)actual times may vary.

SH1 Brynderwyn Hills will be closed from 12:01am Monday 26 February until 11:59pm Wednesday 27 March, opening for six days over the Easter period from 12:01am 28 March to 11:59pm 2 April.

The road will then close again at 12:01am on Wednesday 3 April until 11:59pm Sunday 12 May to complete the remaining work that requires a full closure. Work will be done as quickly as possible.

Ahead of the road closure on Monday 26 February, there will be some night works in the Brynderwyn Hills. The road is still open but will operate under stop/go traffic management.

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with:

· Traffic updates: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic

• Facebook: facebook.com/TransportAgency
• Twitter: twitter.com/WakaKotahi_news
• Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz
• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)

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