The stretch of road which will be closed. Photo / Google Maps
The stretch of road which will be closed. Photo / Google Maps
Waka Kotahi is being forced to close on and off-ramps to State Highway 1 overnight after repeated attempts to drive the wrong way on the motorway.
The ramps will close overnight between Johnsonville and Tawa after several drivers coming north from Tawa ignored detour signs and tried to drive onto the motorway the wrong way.
"Driving the wrong way on any road is a disaster waiting to happen – these incidents put those drivers, our workers and the public at risk," says Mark Owen, Regional Maintenance and Operations Manager.
The drivers were only stopped thanks to the quick thinking of roadworkers who physically stopped them from getting on.
As a result, the southbound on and off-ramps at Tawa will be closed for two weeks from Sunday, November 28, between 9pm and 5.30am from Sunday to Thursday.
Drivers who would normally use these on and off-ramps are asked to plan ahead and use the local road network via SH1 Mungavin Avenue/Titahi Bay or Churton Park/Glenside interchanges.
"We acknowledge this will be further inconvenience for the public, but it is the only way to prevent this happening again."
