Road resurfacing at night may put brakes on traffic
Motorists travelling on a busy state highway in Whanga¯rei at night can expect delays in the next two weeks while the road is asphalted.
Two weeks of traffic management started yesterday on SH14 at Maunu Rd, while asphalting work is done to improve the road surface.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said contractors would be on site between Te Mai Rd and Highfield Way overnight from 7pm to 5am, in order to minimise disruption.
However, no work would be done between 5am on Saturdays and 7pm on Sundays.
Each night a separate, full-width section of the site will be completed, starting from the Hospital Rd intersection and moving westward towards the top of Maunu Hill.
Manual stop/go traffic controls will be in place while the work is done.
There will also be traffic management at the entrance to the highway from any side roads within the work zone of each section that is being worked on.
A temporary 30km/h speed limit will apply within these work areas, and delays are expected.
“Heavy machinery will be operating and will generate noise at times.
The crew will endeavour to keep noise to a minimum and complete the work as quickly as possible,” Waka Kotahi/NZTA Northland system manager Jacqui Hori-Hoult said.
Road users can expect temporary ramping to be in place to ease the transition between the newly laid, slightly higher surface and the original surface.
Once completed, the new surface would mean road users could expect safer journeys.
Footpaths surrounding the work will remain in service. Cones and signage will be in place, and pedestrians will be escorted through the footpath adjacent to the site.
“Waka Kotahi is aware that this part of SH14 becomes congested during peak periods and is currently investigating minor improvement options to help optimise the movement of people through this corridor,” Hori-Hoult said.
“There will be temporary road marking in place following these works while that investigation is carried out and before the final lane marking is applied.”
All works are weather-dependent and may be postponed or cancelled at short notice.