19 October 2026

Detours will be available for light vehicles* as a rebuild of a second section of State Highway 1 south of Dunedin begins next week.

The rebuild at Henley on SH1/Allanton-Waihola Road is due to begin on Tuesday 27 October 2026, with work happening 6am to 7pm weekdays, and following the completion of a nearby rebuild of SH1 at Otokia.

An earlier plan to detour traffic onto local roads including Centre Road was cancelled, with all traffic kept on SH1 for the Otokia rebuild after concerns about damage to Centre Road.

However, after some repair work, Centre Road will be reinstated as part of a light vehicle detour for the SH1 work at Henley. During the working hours, northbound light vehicles on SH1 will be able to detour by turning left onto Henley-Berwick Road, right onto Centre Road, onto State Highway 86 and rejoining SH1. Southbound light vehicles will be able to turn left onto Henley Road, follow it to Henley-Berwick Road and turn left back onto SH1. Heavy vehicles will need to remain on SH1/Allanton-Waihola Road and will have to stop on demand, with delays up of 20 minutes at peak times.

The work is expected to continue through to Friday 5 February 2027, with a break in between for the Christmas/New Year shutdown from Friday 18 December 2026 to Monday 11 January 2027.

Outside of the weekday working hours, temporary traffic speed limits and portable traffic signals may be operating.

The road rebuild at Henley involves digging up and replacing the road surface and layers beneath it, finishing with a new chipseal on top. This will result in a smoother, safer and more durable road surface which reduces the need for future maintenance and limits longer-term disruption.

This work by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) depends on various factors such as the weather and may be amended or rescheduled. If this happens, notification will be provided. 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.

*Light vehicles are those with a maximum gross vehicle mass (GVM, usually specified by the manufacturer) of 3500 kilograms or less. They include cycles, mopeds, motorcycles, cars, light vans, light mobile homes, light forklifts, light tractors, and light self-powered agricultural and light construction machines.

8 October 2026 – Shift in traffic management on SH1 near Dunedin:

Challenges with an intended detour route mean that changes have been made to how road reconstructions are being managed on State Highway 1 south of Dunedin.

Two well-worn sections of SH1/Allanton-Waihola Road are to be rebuilt at Henley and Otokia and the plan had been to use local roads off SH1 as a northbound detour, however one of those local roads – Centre Road – has damage that now makes it unsuitable for heavy vehicles.

Work at Otokia will continue, but instead of directing road users onto the local roads as a detour, traffic will need to stop on demand between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, at the work site on SH1/Allanton-Waihola Road. Delays of up 20 minutes can be expected at peak times. This stop/go traffic management may be extended to operate 24-7 at certain stages of the work. A temporary 30km/h speed restriction will also apply at the site.

Instead of running concurrently, the work at Henley will now take place after the rebuild at Otokia is completed. This is expected to be in early November. More information about the Henley work and the associated traffic management will be provided closer to the time.

The reconstructions at these two sites work involve digging up and replacing the road surface and layers beneath it, finishing with a new chipseal on top. This will result in a smoother, safer and more durable road surface which reduces the need for future maintenance and limits longer-term disruption on this important connection linking Dunedin, Southland and Central Otago.

This work by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) depends on various factors such as the weather and may be amended or rescheduled. If this happens, notification will be provided. Stay up to date at NZTA’s Journey Planner site.

NZTA thanks people for their patience and understanding while this work is completed.

15 September 2026 – Northbound closures for Otago SH1 reconstruction

Road users are encouraged to plan ahead for weeks of northbound lane closures on State Highway 1/Allanton-Waihola Road south of Dunedin from next week as sections of the road are rebuilt.

Two well-worn sections of SH1/Allanton-Waihola Road are being addressed at Henley and Otokia (see map below), with work due to start on Monday 21 September. Initially there will be northbound lane closures in place daily, between the hours of 6am and 6pm, through until Friday 9 October, while preparation and work such as drainage is undertaken. From Monday 12 October, the northbound lane closures are scheduled to be in place 24-7, and to last until early December 2026, so that the reconstruction of the road can happen.

The southbound lane will remain open throughout, but with a 30km/h temporary speed limit in the work area. Northbound traffic on SH1/Allanton-Waihola Road will be detoured via Henley-Berwick Road, Centre Road and State Highway 86, before rejoining SH1 at Allanton. This detour adds about 2.8km to the journey and around 5 minutes of travel time, so people are advised to allow extra time.

The work at these sites involves digging up and replacing the road surface and layers beneath it, finishing with a new chipseal on top. This will result in a smoother, safer and more durable road surface which reduces the need for future maintenance and limits longer-term disruption on this important connection linking Dunedin, Southland and Central Otago.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and its roading crews will be working with emergency services and residents to enable access that they need.
   
This work depends on various factors such as the weather and may be amended or rescheduled. If this happens, notification will be provided. 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.