SH1 Tīrau to Waiouru maintenance update

12 January 2026

In this week’s issue: T2W: the last leg of the journey 2026 schedule Desert Road works in the works Ātiamuri to Wairakei – what’s going on Drainage: a ‘dry’ subject Reminder! State Highway 3 closure.

	T2W: the last leg of the journey As the second and final part of season 2 of the State Highway 1 (SH1) Tīrau to Waiouru accelerated maintenance project (T2W) kicks into gear, we’re on the home straight! T2W started back on Wednesday last week near Rangipō, with overnight stop/go to complete the final seal in areas we worked on in season 1. Last night (Sunday 11 January), crews also started work between Ātiamuri and Wairakei, where we have 2 sites on which to complete final sealing.

	2026 schedule Ātiamuri to Wairakei – overnight stop/go is curently underway and will continue until mid-January. Tuesday 13 January will require a closure of Palmer Mill Road through to the SH1 turn-off for one night. SH1 Desert Road – overnight stop/go is currently underway and will continue until mid-February. Night closures will be required from Sunday 15 February until early March. Putāruru to Tokoroa – overnight stop/go from late January. Tokoroa township, northern end – overnight stop/go from late January to early February. Tokoroa township, southern end – overnight stop/go from late January to early March. East Taupō Arterial – overnight stop/go in February (dates TBC). Tīrau to Putāruru – overnight stop/go from mid-February until late February/early March; rehabilitation at the intersection of SH1/Whites Road. Taupō to Tūrangi – SH1/Kiko Road intersection: overnight stop/go from Wednesday 11 March to early April. Motuoapa: overnight stop/go from Monday 23 March to April. As always, these dates are weather dependent and subject to change.

	Tūrangi to Waiouru – January to March The photos below show work underway near Rangipō, where we’re completing the final asphalt surface on sites north and south of the SH1/SH49 intersection. We started work here on Wednesday last week and have about 10km of final surface to complete in total on SH1 Desert Road between Tūrangi and Waiouru. The areas we’re working in are between Poutu and Rangipō (2.4km), and at Puketarata Hill (4.1km), Mangamate (0.7km), Oturere Hill (1.7km) and Mangatoetoenui (1.1km).

	Work on the 2 sites near Rangipō is expected to continue until about Sunday 15 February, depending on the weather. Work is being completed using overnight stop/go traffic management between 7pm and 6am, from Sunday to Thursday. We’ll then move to the 3 southern sites, which will require overnight closures of SH1 Desert Road between Sunday 15 February and Monday 9 March (weather dependent). We require the overnight closures because the section of SH1 we’re working on is very narrow and winding, and we can’t safely accommodate asphalting machinery and stop/go traffic management. During the overnight closures, the detour is via SH41, SH47, SH4, SH49 and back to SH1 in Waiouru, and vice versa. This is the usual recommended detour route whenever the Desert Road is closed and adds approximately 35 minutes to journeys.   There’s also additional maintenance happening on this stretch of SH1. Contractors are working on SH1 approximately 6km south of Waiouru until late January, there’s other work planned near Rangipō, and we’re also expecting maintenance work on SH49, with dates to be confirmed. Below: The narrow width of this section of SH1 Desert Road necessitates overnight closures.

	Ātiamuri to Wairakei – what’s going on We’ve also started work on the final surface at sites between Ātiamuri and Wairakei. The team started near the SH1/Palmer Mill intersection on Sunday night and will be moving to the second site near Tutukau Road after the Palmer Mill Road site is complete.  We’ll need an overnight closure of Palmer Mill Road on the night of Tuesday 13 January (weather dependent) to complete the tie-in between Palmer Mill Road and SH1. There’s significant additional maintenance scheduled on this section of SH1 during the summer period (January to late March), and we’re coordinating work sites to minimise disruption. Below: This photo shows some of the work between Ātiamuri and Wairakei in season 1 – and why we needed all those road closures.

	Drainage: it’s not all dry stuff Across the project, we’ve completed 3634m of kerb and channel, and 2954m of subsoil drainage. It might all sound a bit ‘dry’, but with water being the enemy of a good road surface, it’s critical!  Together, the kerb and channel and subsoil drainage work to help guide surface and subsurface water away from the road and into the catchpits, culverts and stormwater systems. This protects both the road and you, the driver. It stops the water seeping into the road and damaging the base, which is where those pesky potholes start, and reduces the risks of surface water pooling during heavy rain and you aquaplaning as you drive through it. The subsoil drains also work to intercept groundwater – water that comes up from the water table below the road, which can also impact the pavement from below. Engineering is pretty clever stuff. Check out Tai Ngatai, Supervisor of T2W Zone 7 for Downer NZ, talking about this vital part of road building. Below: Downer’s Tai Ngatai, Supervisor of T2W Zone 7.

	Reminder! SH3 closure coming up A 5-day full road closure is planned on State Highway 3 (SH3) near Ahititi in Taranaki, from 12.01am on Friday 16 January to 11.59pm on Tuesday 20 January 2026. During this closure, 2 culverts will be replaced, requiring significant excavation.  The closure will coincide with our regular summer maintenance renewals season. It will also coincide with T2W work on SH1 Desert Road at the northern sites near Rangipō. We are coordinating works.  During this closure, we’re replacing 2 ageing culverts – the Mangapepeke No.1 culvert and the Mangapepeke No.2 culvert. We anticipate a range of maintenance activities to be completed to maximise the use of the closure period.  Road users are advised to expect lots of activity on SH3 between New Plymouth and Hamilton this summer.

	More information

	For more information on the SH1 Tīrau to Waiouru maintenance, contact us at SH1Waikato@nzta.govt.nz Visit our website nzta.govt.nz/t2w