Residents using the Newlands onramps to State Highway 1 will need to find alternative routes onto the motorway on several nights next week, as NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi rebuilds both entrances as part of a wider programme of roadworks across Wellington.
The Newlands northbound and southbound onramps will both close from 8pm on Monday 26 October until 4.30am Tuesday, and again over the same hours on Wednesday 28 October.
The southbound onramp will also close on Tuesday night, 27 October, between 8pm and 4.30am.
Both offramps into Newlands will remain open during the onramp rebuilds, allowing motorists to continue leaving the motorway for the suburb.
However, drivers joining State Highway 1 will need to use local roads to reach alternative motorway entrances at Johnsonville or Grenada while their usual onramp is closed.
The work involves more than simply resurfacing the existing road.
NZTA says contractors will remove the existing pavement layers and rebuild the onramps to improve grip and skid resistance where vehicles move between local streets and the higher-speed motorway.
Because heavy machinery is required and working space is restricted, the onramps must close while the rebuilding takes place.
There is further overnight work planned near Johnsonville.
Drainage work between the Johnsonville northbound onramp and the Churton Park northbound offramp is scheduled for Monday night from 10pm to 5am, and from Tuesday to Thursday nights between 7pm and 5am.
Northbound lane closures will be in place while this work is carried out.
On Thursday 29 October, resurfacing between the Johnsonville northbound offramp and onramp will require a northbound road closure from 9pm until 4.30am the following morning.
Drivers should follow the temporary traffic arrangements rather than assuming their usual motorway route will remain available.
At Newlands, contractors are also scheduled to replace a manhole frame and lid near the southbound offramp on Thursday night.
A southbound lane closure will be in place from 9pm to 5am, although access from the Johnsonville southbound onramp will remain open.
Closer to central Wellington, inspections and manhole access work are scheduled on Vivian Street in Te Aro on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Southbound lane closures will affect sections between the Terrace Tunnel and Victoria Street, and between Willis Street and Taranaki Street. The work is scheduled to begin at 9pm.
Line marking is also planned at the Tawa/Grenada North Interchange on Monday night, with stop/go traffic management between 10pm and 5.30am.
The works are part of NZTA’s continuing programme to maintain the Wellington region’s state highways.
All scheduled work remains weather-dependent, and motorists are advised to check current highway conditions before travelling, follow temporary speed limits and allow extra time for journeys affected by closures or detours.
