Traffic woes to continue in Whangārei as Dave Culham Drive to be closed during roadworks

Tips to avoid the traffic:
- Leave home much earlier than usual
- Delay your travel until after peak times
- Carpool if possible
- Consider travelling via Mt Tiger Rd
- If you don't need to travel, don't

Traffic congestion is set to peak for motorists on Whangārei's Riverside Drive on Wednesday as resealing continues.

Dave Culham Drive will be closed tomorrow between 9am and 3pm while the section of Riverside Dr from the roundabout towards Onerahi is sealed.

The closure is to enable the council to better manage the work.

It follows two days of resealing work on Riverside Dr where sections of the road were down to a single lane, under stop/go control and reduced to 30km/h.

It will be the same on Wednesday - one lane at a time on Riverside Dr will be closed and there will be stop/go systems in place.

Signal phasing on Dent St will be altered to better match changes to traffic flows the closure of Dave Culham Dr generates.

A visual message board has been installed along Dave Culham Dr since last Thursday advising motorists of the closure.

Te Matau a Pohe's sign boards on Okara and Riverside Drives will be set to closed tomorrow between 9am-3pm.

The roadworks on Riverside Drive have been causing long delays for motorists. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Whangārei District Council senior roading engineer Greg Monteith said he hoped that the school holidays will reduce traffic through the works this week and ease the pressure for everyone.

On Thursday, contractors will be sweeping the road before planned road marking on Saturday.

When the new chip has compacted into the surface and the remaining loose chip has been swept up the speed restriction will be lifted.

"Our aim is for the road to be is fully swept and line markings to go in by the end of Sunday and for normal speeds to resume," Monteith said.

Last week the council apologised for "dropping the ball" over not telling motorists about the roadworks.

The works will see new merging lanes built to allow traffic heading into Whangārei from Mackesy and Awarua River Rds to merge seamlessly with Riverside Dr traffic.

The council explained the works could not be done at night as at this time of year the temperature was too cold for a good sealing result.

Monteith said the works will also provide a much better road surface that should last until the council four-lanes the road in 2026.

Upgrading Riverside Dr and Onerahi Rd is outlined in the council's 2018-2028 Long Term Plan.

The plan has budgeted $24.6 million to upgrade the existing road, but said a bypass could also be considered. It states the council will consult with the community on the options closer to the time.