Work on shoulder to close highway lane
MILTON
A SECTION of SH8 in the Manuka Gorge will be down to one lane for more than a month as the NZ Transport Agency spends about $300,000 fixing the highway’s shoulder.
Senior network manager Chris Harris said the work, being carried out 17km inland from Milton, would start next week and involved installing steel piles to reinstate the highway’s shoulder/edge support.
The work was needed after it was identified the gabion baskets supporting the shoulder were rotating and failing.
Traffic signals would be used to control the singlelane traffic past the work site.
‘‘These signals will operate 24/7 until the shoulder is reinstated and two lanes are restored, likely to be in late
November,’’ Mr Harris said.
‘‘People using this section of highway may experience minor delays and should allow extra time for their journey.
‘‘For their own safety and that of the road works team, we ask that people travel through this work site at the temporary speed limits.’’
Two lanes would be reinstated between Thursday and Monday (October 22 to 26) at Labour Weekend to accommodate holiday traffic travelling to Central Otago.
After Labour Weekend, the team would return to the site to complete the remaining piling work and reinstate the roadside barrier.
The construction work would cost about $300,000 and was being overseen by the Highway Highlanders on behalf of the agency.