Major roadworks completed on State Highway 3 Midhirst to Inglewood.

Major roadworks on SH3 between Inglewood and Midhirst have been completed. Photo / Supplied

Nearly 4000 road cones and signs, 850 tonnes of cement, and more than 8000 working hours and the work that goes with it, has paid off with the completion of the SH3 Inglewood and Midhirst major roadworks.

As well as the 850 tonnes of cement, more than 60 pieces of machinery and
15,000 tonnes of aggregate (enough to fill four Olympic swimming pools) was used to complete the work.

From October work to rebuild the road surface was carried out at a number of sites on SH3 between Midhirst and Inglewood, south of New Plymouth. Now that work is complete, the detour will be removed and both lanes will open for traffic on Saturday.

Regional manager maintenance and operations Jaclyn Hankin says the project was initially scheduled to take about 12 weeks but most of the work was completed in an eight-week construction period, largely due to the detour being in place.

"We acknowledge the substantial detour added time to many people's journeys. This is a vital highway link for the region with more than 11,000 vehicles per day, and we were committed to improving the quality of the highway as quickly as possible."

While the road is open, she says crews still need to complete the finishing touches at the Norfolk Rd intersection, which were unable to be completed due to recent wet weather.

"Motorists are urged to stick to the temporary speed limits that will remain in place on the highway until the new seal has been set. This is crucial to ensure the longevity of the seal."

More work on SH3 is scheduled for early next year, with it likely a similar detour approach will be used for the work, says Jaclyn.

Ms Hankin says it is likely a similar detour approach will be used for roadworks across the region in future, with a detour for northbound traffic under consideration for road renewal work on SH3 south of Eltham scheduled for early next year.