Roadworks
The 2022-2023 maintenance season was a challenging one, with a wet spring followed by a record wet summer into a wet autumn. The Coromandel region was pounded with more than a normal full year’s rain total before winter even began, while Hamilton had more than twice its usual average rainfall over summer, according to NIWA’s seasonal climate summary. Extreme weather with intense rainfall is only going to continue as climate change accelerates.
Waka Kotahi had an ambitious maintenance programme for the season with a target of 398 lane kilometres to be resealed or replaced across the Waikato state highway network. Resealing needs warm and dry conditions, so the 311 lane km achieved, 78 percent of the target, is a significant testament to the hard mahi put in by our contractors.
Over winter, we have crews out monitoring the network, ready to respond swiftly once they are aware of potholes and other rain defects. There are crews on call at night and over the weekends, who spring into action once we are notified of a problem that needs immediate repair. They are contractually obliged to repair potholes within 48 hours, or in case of an urgent situation, they need to be on-site within an hour.
All drivers on our winter roads should expect to encounter potholes – particularly after rainstorms. The key to avoiding damaging your car is to drive to the conditions, and that means being sensible behind the wheel, especially at night and any time it is raining. Slow down, stay alert and make sure you report any potholes to us so we can get them sorted right away. Call 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49) to let us know about any issues on the state highway network.
Before leaving for your destination, check the Journey Planner for the most up to date information on the state highway network.
Looking ahead
Summer 2023-24 will see our maintenance programme majorly ramped up, with the deferred work from the previous season added to an already busy schedule, which kicks off in September. A total of more than 500 state highway lane kilometres are planned to be resealed or rebuilt, the most significant programme of work for the Waikato, underlining the agency’s investment in this vital economic region.