My Account
State Highway 1 through the Brynderwyn Hills will close on February 26 for around 9 weeks for vital slip repair works, Waka Kotahi announced on Tuesday morning.
The repairs will close later than originally envisaged and reopen for Easter, before closing again on April 3 to complete remaining works.
Waka Kotahi said that after outrage when the closures were originally announced and a period of public feedback, the new closure dates were a “hybrid option”.
Director of Regional Relationships Steve Mutton said 2600 people had provided online feedback and 200 more attended online webinars.
“People have agreed with us that getting the road fixed for the medium term is critical and needs to be done as soon as possible,” he said. “Ultimately, we have come up with a hybrid option that caters as much as we can to freight, tourism and the community in general.
“This option also gives us more time to prepare for the closure and work with Northland Transport Alliance to make sure the local detour routes are ready.”
The Brynderwyns will close from February 26 until March 27, open for six days over the Easter period, then close again on April 3 to complete the remaining work that requires a full road closure.
Mutton said the decision struck a balance between the need to keep Northland open over the busy Easter period, while also allowing crews to get work done while the weather remained fine. He also said detour routes that were safe and “as high quality as possible” would be available for cars and trucks.
“We’ve heard that we need to improve detour routes and provide clearer signage and wayfinding,” he added. “Crews are already working to prepare SH12 and SH14 and we’re also working closely with the Northland Transportation Alliance to finalise the detail of local detour routes and ensure they are as high quality as possible.”
A detour campaign will begin in February to remind people that although SH1 Brynderwyn Hills is closed, Northland is still open via a number of alternative routes.
