The NZ Transport Agency is encouraging heavy vehicle operators to avoid Huntly for a week from Sunday as roadworks commence on State Highway 1.
Traffic will be managed through roadworks just north of Huntly from Sunday 21 February, with a south-bound detour required at night.
The Transport Agency’s Waikato journey manager Liam Ryan says truck drivers are being encouraged to use SH2/SH27 to avoid the south-bound detour and expected north-bound delays.
“The detour is through a residential area, and our contractors and the people living along that route would naturally prefer trucks were not travelling past them in the middle of the night,” says Ryan.
“Because we are managing north-bound traffic through the works, there will be delays, so we are encouraging truck operators to take SH2/SH27 where practical to do so,” he says.
The works are on a 1.8km stretch of SH1 alongside the Waikato River in the Huntly urban area.
Contractors will be repairing the road surface in the north-bound lanes, and carrying out other roadworks.
The work will start at 5 pm on Sunday, February 21 and go through until Friday 26 February.
Construction work will take place at night, from 5pm-5am, and the south-bound traffic detour will operate during the same hours.
The detour for south-bound traffic is Fletcher Street-Hakanoa Street-Bell Crossing Street.
Contractors will also be working on other sections of SH1 next week.
Motorists may encounter minor delays when travelling through the passing lanes just south of Huntly as well as SH1 at Ohinewai, and also on SH1 just north of the Meremere Dragway.
NZTA says drivers are likely to encounter speed restrictions and other traffic management at roadwork sites over the next three months, and should get in the habit of allowing extra time for their journeys.
