An important rebuild of a section of State Highway 8 in Central Otago from next month will make for safer and smoother travel, but the work will require road users to plan more time into their journeys.

The road renewal work on SH8/Ettrick-Raes Junction Road at Millers Flat (see map below) is scheduled to begin from Monday 2 November 2026 with an initial phase of drainage and road shoulder widening through until the Christmas-New Year shutdown period from 18 December 2026 to 12 January 2027.

This pre-Christmas phase will mean roading crews on site Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm, and with only a single lane of traffic operating, road users will be required to stop on demand. People should plan for delays of up to 10 minutes at the site during these working hours.

A temporary reduced speed limit will also be in place while this work is underway, and it will remain in effect outside the daytime working hours.

From 12 January 2027, roading crews are scheduled to get into the road rebuild work itself, which involves digging up and replacing the road surface and layers beneath it, before finishing with a new chipseal on top. This phase may require additional traffic management, the details of which will be notified closer to the time.

Aside from improving the road surface for users, this work will extend the life and resilience of the road.

If the weather or unforeseen circumstances significantly affects the schedule of work, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) will advise of this. Stay up to date at NZTA’s Journey Planner site. NZTA thanks people in advance for their patience and understanding while this work is completed.

Otago state highway maintenance programme (external link)