Detour to be in place on State Highway 3 from next week for motorists travelling south from Whanganui

A detour will be in place on State Highway 3 for traffic travelling south from Whanganui from next week. Photo / Bevan Conley

A detour will be in place for much of the next two months on State Highway 3 between Turakina and Bulls near Dudding Lake.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said the detour would be put in place for southbound traffic to allow resurfacing and drainage works to take place on the road.

Work will begin on Tuesday, October 24, and is expected to take seven weeks to complete.

During this time, the southbound lane will be closed from 6am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and sometimes on a Saturday.

Southbound traffic will be detoured down Makirikiri Rd, onto Pukepapa Rd and back to State Highway 3.

Waka Kotahi said the detour was likely to add up to five minutes to people’s journey when travelling south.

An NZTA spokesperson said drainage remained critical to the resilience of all roads.

It was planned for road workers to return to the site in about 12 months to add a second coat of seal to the road.