November closures of Wellington’s urban motorwayClosing SH1 in Wellington in November
Wellington’s urban motorway will be closed three times during November.
During the closures, we’ll:
- install four new cross-motorway steel gantries (the structures that house the destination or electronic signs),
- install one extra variable message sign, and
- remove one redundant gantry.
The motorway will be closed in both directions between Ngauranga and Thorndon for up to nine hours at a time.
Date | Task | Time closed | Both directions open at | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southbound | Northbound | |||
| Saturday, 14 Nov | Install truss gantry @ CH1505 |
10pm |
Midnight |
7am Sunday |
| Install portal gantry @ CH4340 | ||||
| Install portal gantry @ CH4340 | ||||
| Sunday, 15 Nov | Remove gantry @ CH3445 |
Midnight |
10pm |
5.30am Monday |
| Install northbound VMS on existing gantry at Hobson St | ||||
| Saturday, 28 Nov | Install truss gantry at CH3450 | Midnight | 10pm | 7am Sunday |
Note: locations on the project site are identified by the term ‘chainage or CH’. In this case, 1 chain equals 1 metre. CH1250 is the Ngauranga Interchange and CH4250 is the Aotea off-ramp.
Detours during the closures
We’re planning three full closures of Wellington’s urban motorway during November (dates to be confirmed). The closures are to allow the installation of four new cross-motorway steel gantries (the structures that house the electronic signs), plus one extra variable message sign, and the removal of one gantry. The motorway will be closed in both directions between Ngauranga and Thorndon for up to nine hours at a time.
While we encourage people to avoid the area during the closures if at all possible, detours will be in place and everyone will be able to get where they want to go. Please allow extra time for your journey if you’re travelling through thethis area during a closure.
- Northbound traffic will be diverted from the motorway onto the Thorndon off-ramp. The detour will take traffic along Tinakori Road, the Hutt Road and re-connect to either State Highway 1 or State Highway 2 at Ngauranga
- Southbound vehicles travelling from Johnsonville (State Highway 1) or Petone (State Highway 2) will be diverted from the highway at Ngauranga and travel along the Hutt Road, entering the city at various points or re-joining the motorway at the Hawkestone St on-ramp
- We advise drivers travelling north from the airport / Cobham Drive area to use an alternate route, eg the waterfront roads, leading to the Hutt Road
- We also advise drivers at the Basin Reserve and at Willis St to use the waterfront route and avoid the Terrace Tunnel.
View diversion route for north and southbound closures - November 2015
Dates could change
During the closures
Northbound traffic will be diverted from the motorway onto the Tinakori off-ramp. It’ll travel along Tinakori Road, Hutt Road and re-join either State Highway 1 or State Highway 2 at Ngauranga.
All dates are subject to change due to bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances. Contingency dates are set for 29 November,Southbound traffic will leave the highway at Ngauranga and 5 and 6 December.travel along the Hutt Road, entering the city at various points or re-joining the highway at the Hawkestone St on-ramp.
Informing road users
We’ll advertise the closures in newspapers, on radio, via social media and on the electronic sign boards.
Questions and answers
When are you closing the motorway?
There will be three full overnight motorway closures during November. They’re planned for; Saturday 14, Sunday 15 and Saturday 28 November.
What happens if the weather’s bad or something else happens that means the closures can’t go ahead?
If, for any reason, the closures need to be postponed, our contingency dates are Sunday 29 November, and Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December.
Which part of the motorway will be closed?
The urban section of State Highway 1 between Ngauranga and Thorndon will be closed in both directions.
Why are you closing the motorway?
As part of building Wellington’s smart motorway, we need to close the motorway to allow the installation of four new cross-motorway steel gantries (the structures that hold the destination or electronic signs), one new electronic variable message sign, and to remove one redundant gantry.
Will I be able to get where I need to go during the closures?
Yes. Detours will be in place and they’ll be well sign-posted. We do recommend you avoid the area if possible, but if you do need to travel, then please allow more time for your journey.
How much extra time will the detour add to my journey?
It’s hard to know exactly how much extra time your journey will take because it’ll depend on factors such as the weather and the volume of traffic on the road at the time. Allowing an extra 20 minutes should be enough for you to get where you’re going on time.
Where does the detour go?
For northbound traffic :
- vehicles coming from the airport area, and the Basin Reserve are encouraged to detour along waterfront routes leading to the Hutt Road and then rejoin either State Highway 1 or State Highway 2 at Ngauranga.
- after the Terrace Tunnel, all vehicles will be diverted onto the Thorndon off-ramp, along Tinakori Road, the Hutt Road to rejoin either State Highway 1 or State Highway 2 at Ngauranga.
Southbound traffic will diverted from State Highway 1 or State Highway 2 at Ngauranga and travel along the Hutt Road, entering the city at various points or re-joining the highway at the Hawkestone St on-ramp.
Why do you need to close both directions of the motorway?More information will be available closer to the time.
Because the gantry structures span the whole motorway, we need to close the road to safely lift them into place.
Why is one direction closed earlier than the other?
We want to minimise disruption where possible. Closing one direction will allow us to manoeuvre the crane into place and set it up. During this time, we’ll also get the gantry to be lifted into place, ready for lifting. When the other direction closes (so the whole motorway is closed), the lift can begin.
How will people know about the closures?
We’ll run an information campaign including radio and newspaper advertising, social media posts and messages on existing and temporary electronic messages signs.
Is this the last series of closures?
The Transport Agency is considering adding more gantries to the existing smart motorway scheme. If this is confirmed, it will require more motorway closures; likely to be in early 2016.