Wellington motorway closures – March and April 2016
There will be more closures of motorways in Wellington during March and April.
We’re installing more smart equipment - cross-motorway gantries (the steel structures that hold the destination or electronic signs) and electronic signs, and removing two redundant gantries.
During the first four closures, the motorway will be closed in both directions between Ngauranga and Thorndon for up to nine hours at a time:
Date | Task | All lanes in both directions CLOSE at | All lanes in both directions OPEN at |
|---|---|---|---|
Saturday 5 March | Remove existing gantry | 10pm Saturday | 7am Sunday |
Sunday 6 March | Install beam on overhead gantry | 10pm Sunday | 5.30am Monday |
Saturday 19 March | Remove existing gantry | 10pm Saturday | 7am Sunday |
Sunday 20 March | Install beam on overhead gantry | 10pm Sunday | 5.30am Monday |
The last two nights of work are on State Highway 2 between Petone and Ngauranga. Traffic will be able to get through at all times EXCEPT for approximately 10 minutes early morning on Monday 4 April.The last two nights of work are on State Highway 2 between Petone and Ngauranga. Traffic will be able to get through at all times EXCEPT for approximately 10 minutes at 2am on Sunday 3 April.
On Saturday 2 April, access will be maintained at all times via a ‘contraflow’ arrangement. This means one lane of traffic will run in each direction on the southbound side of the highway and a crane will occupy both northbound lanes.On Saturday 2 April, traffic flow will be maintained via a ‘contraflow’ arrangement. This means one lane of traffic will run in each direction on the northbound side of the highway, while a crane sets up on both southbound lanes. As the gantry beam is moved into place along one of the northbound lanes, traffic will be reduced to one lane and a stop/go arrangement will be in place. This will give road users a maximum wait time of a couple of minutes. The highway will then be completely closed for approximately 10 minutes at around 2am Sunday while the crane lifts and installs the beam. The very few vehicles that use the road during this time will have a long detour; to access Wellington city from the Hutt Valley, they’ll need to travel north on State Highway 2, across the Haywards Hill Road (State Highway 58), then south along State Highway 1 (and vice versa for traffic travelling from Wellington to the Hutt Valley).
During the last evening of works on Sunday 3 April, traffic flow will be maintained via a ‘contraflow’ arrangement. One lane of traffic will run in each direction on the northbound side of the highway, while a crane sets up on both southbound lanes. As the gantry beam is moved into place along one of the northbound lanes, traffic will be reduced to one lane and a stop/go arrangement will be in place. This will give road users a maximum wait time of a couple of minutes. The highway will then be completely closed for approximately 10 minutes at between 1-2am Monday while the crane lifts and installs the beam. The very few vehicles that use the road during this time will have a long detour; to access Wellington city from the Hutt Valley, they’ll need to travel north on State Highway 2, across the Haywards Hill Road (State Highway 58), then south along State Highway 1 (and vice versa for traffic travelling from Wellington to the Hutt Valley).
During the last evening of works on Sunday 3 April, access will be maintained at all times via a ‘contraflow’ arrangement. One lane of traffic will run in each direction on the southbound side of the highway and a crane will occupy both northbound lanes.
| Date | Task | Traffic arrangements |
|---|---|---|
Saturday 2 April | Install a beam on a new gantry between the SH1/SH2 interchange and the weigh station. | One lane in each direction from 10pm Saturday until there’s a stop/go at about 1.30am and then the road will be completely closed at approximately 2am Sunday forapproximately 10 minutes. |
Sunday 3 April | Install new electronic signs on the existing gantry near the weighbridge | One lane in each direction between 10pm Sunday and 5.30am Monday |
Detours during the closures of the State Highway 1 urban motorway
We encourage people to avoid the area during the closures if possible. However, detours will be in place and everyone will be able to get where they want to go.
- Northbound traffic will be diverted from the motorway after the Terrace Tunnel onto the Thorndon off-ramp. Detoured traffic will travel 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 southbound motorway from Tinakori Road at the Hawkestone St on-ramp
- Drivers travelling north from the airport / Cobham Drive area should use an alternate route, eg the waterfront roads, leading to the Hutt Road
- Drivers travelling north from the Basin Reserve and Willis St areas should use the waterfront route and avoid the Terrace Tunnel.
Detours during the short closure of State Highway 2 between Petone and Ngauranga
This closure will occur at the time of night when the fewest vehicles travel this route. Drivers who can’t avoid travelling during those times will have a short wait or could choose to travel a long detour; to access Wellington city from the Hutt Valley, they’ll need to travel north on State Highway 2, across the Haywards Hill Road (State Highway 58), then south along State Highway 1 (and vice versa for traffic travelling from Wellington to the Hutt Valley).
Please allow extra time for your journey if you’re travelling through the area during these works. We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your co-operation while we carry out this important work.
Dates could change
All dates are subject to change due to bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances. Contingency dates are set for Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 April.
Informing road users
We’ll advertise the closures in newspapers, online, on radio, via social media and on the electronic sign boards. Our website will be kept up to date with the latest information.
Questions and answers
When are you closing the motorway?
There will be four full overnight closures of the State highway 1 urban motorway between Ngauranga and the Terrace Tunnel during March. They’re planned for; Saturday 5, Sunday 6, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March.
The last two nights of work are on State Highway 2 between Petone and Ngauranga. Traffic will be able to get through at all times EXCEPT for approximately 10 minutes at 2am on Sunday 3 April.
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 Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 April.
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 for the first four closures. The other two nights involve work on State Highway 2 between Petone and Ngauranga. During the SH2 closure, traffic will be able to get through at all times except for one very short closure of 10 minutes at 2am on Sunday 3 April.
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 new cross-motorway steel gantries (the structures that hold the destination or electronic signs), new electronic signs, and to remove two redundant gantries.
Will I be able to get where I need to go during the closures?
Yes, except for one 10 minute complete closure of SH2 between Petone and Ngauranga at 2am on Sunday 3 April. During the closures of Sh1 urban motorway, 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 SH1 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. During the closures of State Highway 1, an extra 20 minutes should be enough for you to get where you’re going on time. The short closure of State Highway 2 (planned for 2am, Sunday 3 April) will add more time as it’s a long detour, so it would probably be easier (and quicker) to wait.
Where does the detour go?
During the closure of the SH1 urban motorway between Ngauranga and the Terrace Tunnel, 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 southbound motorway at the Hawkestone St on-ramp.
Drivers who cannot avoid travelling during the short closure of State Highway 2 at 2am on Sunday 3 April, can choose to wait or they’ll have a long detour; to access Wellington city from the Hutt Valley, they’ll need to travel north on State Highway 2, across the Haywards Hill Road (State Highway 58), then south along State Highway 1 (and vice versa for traffic travelling from Wellington to the Hutt Valley).
Why do you need to close both directions of the motorway?
Because the gantry structures span the whole motorway, we need to close the road to safely lift them into place.
How will people know about the closures?
We’ll run an information campaign including radio, online and newspaper advertising, social media posts and messages on existing and temporary electronic messages signs.