A scheduled closure on State Highway 29 Kaimai Ranges will take place over four nights from Sunday 14 July to Wednesday 17 July, from 8pm to 3.30am each night.

Waka Kotahi said the closures are needed to undertake asphalt renewals and other routine maintenance activities such as clearing drains, sign maintenance and road marking.

“This is the third time we have closed SH29 for maintenance works. We have found the full closure provides huge safety benefits for both crews and road users,” said Roger Brady, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi regional manager maintenance and operations, Waikato Bay of Plenty.

SH29 is a critical route, providing the key link between the country’s largest port and the Golden Triangle.

“Around 14,000 vehicles use this road every day, including several thousand heavy vehicles. It is critical to maintain SH29 to ensure the route is safe and accessible for all road users,” said Brady.

“We’ve collaborated with freight operators and roading contractors to confirm days and times that work best for everybody. By locking in a schedule, regular road users including freight operators, can make plans to minimise the disruption to themselves and their customers,”

The transport agency said the detours for this closure are significant and add considerable time to journeys. People are encouraged to check the NZTA Journey Planner journeys.nzta.govt.nz and allow extra time for their journey, or if possible, delay travel over SH29 on these nights.

“We’d like to thank our stakeholders and partners for working with us on this. While disruptive in the short term, everyone will enjoy the benefits of having a more reliable and safer route over the Kaimai Range,” said Brady.

The closure points on the western (Waikato) side are at the SH29/24 and SH29/28 intersections and on the eastern (BOP) side at the SH29/Cambridge Road intersection. Emergency services will have access at all times, and residents can access their property from the relevant side of the closure.

The timetable of works below is current at the time of printing.

*note November closure is 1 hour later