Covid 19 coronavirus: Work restarts on Northland's state highway roadworks

The drop to level 3 restrictions means work can resume on Northland's state highway network, including the Loop Rd/SH1 roadworks, above. Photo / File

As the country moved down to level 3 Covid-19 restrictions work restarted on state highway roadworks across Northland.

Construction projects were shut down with the move to alert level 4 on March 26, and only essential work to keep the network safe for the movement of essential goods and to support lifeline services was allowed during the lockdown.

However, as the country moved to level 3 on Tuesday, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency resumed work on state highway construction projects and road maintenance in Auckland and Northland.

Waka Kotahi said it had worked closely with contractors and Construction Health and Safety NZ (CHASNZ) to plan for a safe return to work after the end of the level 4 lockdown.

And while level 3 does not offer much greater personal movement, it does allow more businesses to open and means more people back at work.

Waka Kotahi senior manager project delivery Andrew Thackwray said contractors are required to submit a detailed plan for managing their work force and work activity before they can return.

The CHASNZ standards and guidelines include measures for pre-planning work, documenting the health and safety of staff, ensuring safe physical distancing is maintained, cleaning of all plant, tools and vehicles, and being able to quickly and accurately trace people should they come in contact with someone who contracts Covid-19.

"The safety of workers and road users is our top priority, and we're working with contractors on specific Covid-19 plans for each of our worksites,'' Thackwray said.

"The transition back to on-site work will be different for every project and the timing will depend on the complexity of each project. Some on-site activity will be able to resume straight away, but it will take time for some sites and projects to be fully operational."

At alert level 3, a range of new measures will be in place including restricted access to the construction site, requirements for workers to maintain physical distancing, and the use of additional protective clothing.

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website

At all Waka Kotahi sites, crews will form small working "bubbles" and will stick together throughout the day while also maintaining a safe social distance.

On most sites a small number of staff were expected to be on-site performing set-up activities on Tuesday, with more workers returning in following days. Office staff and those who are not physically required to be on-site will continue to work from home until further notice.

The resumption of state highway maintenance will mean there are more workers on state highways and Thackwray urged anyone who had to travel to take care when driving through worksites.