With a series of roadworks on State Highway 1 in and around Ashburton now complete, work is shifting north, and inland to State Highway 77 where a closure will be in place tomorrow (Saturday 14 March).

SH77/Alford Forest Road, between the intersections with Oak Grove and Cross Street, is due to be closed between 8am and 5pm tomorrow for road resurfacing. A detour will be available via Harrison Street and Oak Grove or Walnut Avenue. People are encouraged to plan their travel accordingly.

Further inland on SH77/Methven Highway, power undergrounding work is underway through until Friday 27 March 2026, which means road users will be required to stop on demand and slow down for a 30km/h temporary speed restriction. At Methven itself, resealing on SH77/Main Street, near Dolma Street, on Thursday 19 March is expected to mean road users having to stop on demand for part of the day.

On Sunday 22 March through to Tuesday 24 March, State Highway 1/Rakaia Highway is expected to close at nights at the Chertsey rail crossing for roadworks. A detour will be in place (see map below) via Somerton Road and Thompsons Track, with midnight openings of SH1 for over-dimension vehicles and permitted freight.

Meanwhile, road construction work continues on State Highway 79/Geraldine-Fairlie Highway at two sites between Geraldine and Fairlie, South Canterbury, where people need to stop on demand and slow for 30km/h temporary speed restrictions on weekdays. This work is due to continue until 27 March and 31 March, respectively.

Resealing on the Upper Orari Bridge on SH79 means a daytime closure is currently planned for Saturday 28 March, with a detour via SH1, and Orari Station Road or Inland Route 72/Winchester-Geraldine Road at Winchester  

We thank people for their patience while this work is carried out to benefit all road users. Latest information can be found at our Journey Planner site.