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State Highway 6 Kohatu road rebuild on the way

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi | 8 Oct 2025 9:33am | Tasman

Flood and storm damage at State Highway 6 in Kohatu is about to get its final fix.

This section of State Highway 6 had been scheduled for a full rebuild as part of this season’s state highway summer maintenance season, but it was also damaged during winter floods this year.

An interim road surface has been in place over the past few months, awaiting warmer and drier conditions more suitable for road rebuild work.

This work will begin next week, Monday 13 October and (weather permitting) is due to be complete in early December – before the peak holiday season and higher traffic volumes.

Contractors will rebuild a one kilometre stretch of State Highway 6 from the end of the Kohatu Bridge towards Mead Bridge.

The existing road surface will be excavated to a solid foundation, and the highway will be rebuilt before new chipseal is applied.

Contractors will also complete other recovery works to fix damage to the existing stopbanks and river protection structures caused during the June/July floods.

The work will be carried out on weekdays (Monday - Friday), 7am – 5pm, under stop/go traffic management. Drivers can expect 15-minute delays when passing through this work site.

Road users should allow for extra travel time and plan their journeys accordingly.

Works schedule

  • Monday 13 October to Monday 8 December. Monday to Friday, 7am – 5pm
  • Stop/Go traffic management and 30 km/h temporary speed limit. 15-minute delays can be expected
  • No work on weekends
  • 30 km/h temporary speed limit applies outside work hours.

Other works

Road users also need to be prepared for other daytime chip sealing work being done on State Highway 6 in October and November which will also create short delays (around five minutes) for traffic. This includes:

  • 20 - 31 October: SH6 Brightwater to SH6 Owen River area
  • 1 – 18 November: SH6 Owen River area to SH65 Shenandoah.

Due to multiple resurfacing, resealing, recovery and resilience sites on State Highway 6 between Richmond and Murchison from now until Christmas, road users must allow extra time for their journeys. Plan ahead and check Journey Planner before travelling for up-to-date information on delay times at each site.

More information