State Highway 1 between Waipara and Kaikōura will be closed for several nights early next month as important roadworks are carried out.

Road users are encouraged to plan ahead for the closures due to be in effect from 8pm to 5am, from Sunday 2 November to Thursday 6 November, with work expected to finish on the morning of Friday 7 November. The northern end of the closure will be close to the Inland Road/Route 70 intersection near Kaikōura.

Nightly road openings will be scheduled in at certain times to allow travellers to connect to and from Cook Strait ferry sailings. Outside of these nightly opening times, road users are strongly recommended to use a detour route available via State Highway 7 and the Inland Road/Route 70. The Inland Road is not suitable for High Productivity Motor Vehicles (HPMVs), however State Highways 7, 6, 65 and 63 are available for HPMVs.

Roadworks will also take place during the day, but the highway will be open with stop/go traffic management and potential delays of up to 15 minutes from this work.

Contractors on behalf of New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi will be rebuilding sections of the state highway, laying new road seal at hairpin bends at the Hundalee Hills, and completing patching and line marking. Working both day and night shifts will allow the roading teams to complete the work more efficiently and cost effectively, with less overall disruption to road users.

We thank people for their patience while this work is undertaken to improve the safety of road users and ensure the resilience of the highway network.