Taupō motorists should be aware of changing road layouts and speed restrictions for some months ahead.
It comes as construction has begun on a new Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre (CVSC) in Taupō on the corner of the State Highway 1 and the State Highway 5 roundabout.
The site is one of 12 being built by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) on high-volume freight routes nationwide for police to operate as part of the national Commercial Vehicle Safety Programme.
A police spokesperson told the Waikato Herald that their Commercial Vehicle Safety Team (CVST) is “primarily focused on reducing death and serious injuries”, and they view the programme “as critical”.
“The centres, including the one planned for Taupō, enable a safe and secure environment for police to undertake our role in monitoring the compliance of all heavy vehicles.
“The technology at the safety centres will allow us to focus on operators who are not complying, over time raising the standards across the fleet nationwide.”
The technology can screen commercial vehicles across different markers, so operators with solid processes around vehicle standards, fatigue, and weight will be called in less, allowing police’s CVST to focus on high-risk operators and vehicles.
An NZTA spokesperson said the CVSC in Taupō is currently in the earthwork and drainage stages.
In a bid to minimise highway spills, the centre will also have a stock truck effluent tank disposal facility.
The spokesperson said from late January until May, contractors will be installing in-road weigh-in-motion scales, camera technology, and signage boards.
They will be installed on five roads heading towards the CVSC: SH1 north of the roundabout, SH1 south of the roundabout, SH5 east of the roundabout, Napier Rd west of the roundabout, and nearby Crown Rd.
Temporary lanes will be built on the road shoulders to allow traffic to pass around the work areas and minimise the use of stop/go or temporary detours.
Speed restrictions will be in place and only minor delays are expected.
This technology will screen passing traffic and direct any suspected non-compliant heavy vehicles into the safety centre.
Police officers on site will check vehicle weights, road user charges (RUC), certificates of fitness, logbooks, and driver impairment.
Construction of the Taupō safety centre is well under way and will be operational in early 2026.
Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.