Road’s night closures frustrate
Residents cope as Desert Road traffic rerouted nightly
Tūrangi residents may have breathed a sigh of relief at the end of roadworks on SH1 to Taupō, but the reprieve was short-lived as Desert Road night closures began shortly after.
Pavement rehabilitation works have been ongoing at multiple locations along SH1 on the Desert Road, bringing night closures between Waiouru and Rangipo from 6 pm to 6 am, Sunday to Thursday.
Nearly three weeks into the project, an NZ Transport Agency spokeswoman said work was going well.
“NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi contractors have been making good progress and the work will be completed in a couple of weeks by mid-March, if not earlier.”
The works began on February 11 and were scheduled to last around five weeks.
Drivers travelling through the Central Plateau during the closure hours need to take a detour via SH46, SH47, SH4 and SH49, back to SH1 and vice versa.
The detour adds about 35 minutes to travel time, so travellers were advised to plan ahead.
During the non-closure times, which include all day on Friday and Saturday, there are reduced speed limits on both lanes.
This may add short delays, but hasn’t been problematic for road users, said the spokeswoman.
She said drivers have shown understanding and have followed instructions given by crew.
“We haven’t had any trouble with compliance as the work has been well signalled with the freight industry and other road users.
“In addition, the detour is familiar to road users as it’s the winter diversion route.”
The spokeswoman said the time of year for the works might seem frustrating, but there was good reason; although summer was the busiest time on New Zealand’s roads, it also provided the best opportunity for getting roadworks done.
“This work needs to be done during the summer when the weather is more settled.
“We appreciate travellers are experiencing a lot of road works at the moment on SH1 and around the region.
“Doing the work at nights is the least disruptive option for the Desert Road and forms part of the summer renewals programme, which sees approximately 2500 lane kilometres being renewed between October 2023 and mid-2024.”
Elsewhere in the region, there are roadworks on SH41 in Tokaanu due to a washout.
The road is down to one lane with temporary traffic lights and a 30km/ h speed restriction. Repairs on the washout are due to start in early April and are expected to take between three and four weeks to complete.