Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
With three weeks of night closures beginning on the Urban Motorway this weekend, Wellington drivers are being urged to be ready and plan for travel disruptions when heading in and out of the city.
Over the next three weeks, Wellington Transport Alliance road crews will lay over 2.7 lane kilometres of new asphalt on the motorway’s north and southbound lanes. They will also upgrade lane control signals and do other general maintenance work.
The work will be done at night, between 9 pm and 4 am, Sundays to Thursdays, at various locations between The Terrace Tunnel and the Ngauranga Interchange, requiring north and southbound road closures.
Drivers travelling from 7 pm should also expect delays as there will be lane closures along the Urban Motorway for roadworks setup.
If you are driving in and out of the Wellington CBD in the evenings, it is essential you travel early to avoid congestion and traffic delays. This is particularly important for people heading to the airport and travellers with Cook Strait ferry connections.
Closures will be in place for southbound traffic from Sunday, 11 February to Thursday, 15 February, and northbound traffic from Sunday, 18 February to Thursday, 29 February.
There will be no work on Fridays and Saturdays, and the motorway will be open as normal on these nights.
Vehicles must use detour routes, so we encourage people to plan for their journeys and expect delays.
This is essential maintenance work on a critical transport link. NZTA Waka Kotahi wants to thank drivers for their patience and co-operation while this project is completed.
All work is weather-dependent and may be delayed if wet weather occurs.
Key Information
- SH1 Wellington Urban Motorway will be closed at various locations from 9 pm to 4 am, Sunday to Thursday nights.
- The motorway will be fully open with traffic management cleared by 5.30 am each morning.
- Friday and Saturday nights will see the motorway open as normal.
- From 7 pm, there will be lane closures to allow traffic management to be put in place. Road users should expect delays from this time.
- There will be signposted detours in place from 9 pm to 4 am.
- Please plan ahead and travel early where possible.
Please see the document attached to this release for more details about the planned closures and detour routes.
SH1 Wellington Urban Motorway night closures
Wellington State Highway 1 Urban Motorway night closures – February 2024 [PDF, 235 KB]
