State Highway 1 Tīrau to Waiōuru accelerated maintenance project reaches halfway point

The State Highway 1 Tīrau to Waiōuru accelerated maintenance project aimed to complete four years’ worth of road renewals in 16 months.

Announced last August, the State Highway 1 Tīrau to Waiōuru accelerated maintenance project aimed to complete four years’ worth of road renewals in 16 months.

As the project reaches its halfway point, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said in a statement that 119 lane kilometres of SH1 had been rehabilitated or resealed.

“As this huge maintenance effort comes to an end, I want to thank the truckies, motorists, and local residents who’ve been so patient through the necessary traffic disruptions.”

Bishop also thanked NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) contractors “who worked hard to improve big sections of New Zealand’s most important road”.

“These were some pretty sad sections of state highway which had needed an astonishing 5670 pothole repairs over the previous couple of years.”

Transport Minister Chris Bishop. Photo / Tom Eley

Bishop said making so many short-term repairs was inefficient.

The accelerated programme saw some sections of the highway being completely rebuilt.

“The Tīrau to Waiōuru project is part of the Government’s $2.07 billion Pothole Prevention fund and condenses four years of roadworks into two road maintenance seasons.”

Bishop said drivers would notice improvements from the maintenance, drainage, road rebuilding and safety work “immediately”.

“These upgrades mean the road is more forgiving if someone makes a mistake, with crashes less likely to result in death or serious injury.”

At the programme's peak, 145 truckloads of roading metal were being delivered every day across the closed sections of SH1.

According to Bishop, 32 contracting firms have worked over 110,000 hours to get this far.

“At the project’s peak, 145 truckloads of roading metal were being delivered every day across the closed sections of state highway.”

The second half will begin in September.

“There is still a lot of work to do,” Bishop said.

“This includes the final surfacing on the sections worked on this season, and more maintenance and road rebuilding between Taupō to Tūrangi, and in the Tīrau and Tokoroa townships.

“However, the work between Taupō to Tūrangi will not involve a full 24/7 road closure and the final surfacing work will be done under stop/go and or at night.”

National Road Carriers commercial transport specialist Paula Rogers.

National Road Carriers Association commercial transport specialist Paula Rogers said feedback from operators has been positive.

“The transport sector understands the complexity of these major projects and has accepted the closures, knowing that they help speed up the work.

“Our roads need to be fit for purpose, and if short-term closures are necessary to get the job done efficiently, we adapt and work around them.

“Communication throughout these projects has been clear and concise, which has made alternative route planning much easier for our sector.”

The second season of the accelerated roadworks programme will begin in September.

NZTA regional transport systems manager Sandra King said the agency was “very pleased” with the amount of work contractors had completed.

“We haven’t just carried out much needed road maintenance work, we’ve also completely rebuilt the road in some areas.

“If we had done this work under traditional stop/go traffic management it could have taken up to four years to complete.”

King said NZTA was aware of the inconveniences and challenges caused by road closures.

“We’re incredibly thankful for everyone’s patience and understanding as we worked.”

King said the programme for next season “is being worked on”.

“NZTA will be speaking to communities, businesses, and freight when we have more details to share.”

The SH1 Tīrau to Waiōuru project by the numbers:

• 119 lane km (601,000m2) completed, including:
• 198,366 Tonnes of aggregate used;
• Up to 145 truckloads of metal per day delivered across all closures;
• 110,000 roadcrew hours to date;
• Zero time lost due to injuries;
• 32 contracting firms on the go at once.

Maryana Garcia is a Hamilton-based reporter covering breaking news in Waikato. She previously wrote for the Rotorua Daily Post and Bay of Plenty Times.