Resurfacing works will see State Highway 1 over the Brynderwyn Hills fully close for two 4-day ‘super weekends’ next month, ensuring the route is in peak condition ahead of the busy summer season. 

It’s the final stage of the SH1 Brynderwyn Hills recovery project, and involves applying a full-width asphalt surface, reinstating lane markings and passing lanes, and returning the route to 80km/h, making journeys to and from Northland smoother.

The route will be fully closed from 13 – 16 November and again from 20 - 23 November. In between the closures, the road will reopen for 3 days (17 November – 19 November).

“NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) appreciates that SH1 Brynderwyn Hills is a crucial connection for Northland. While there’s no perfect time for a closure, the selected dates and approach has been carefully considered to balance the impact on the community while ensuring we can do an efficient and quality job,” says Steve Matene, NZTA’s System Manager in Northland.

Paving in Spring means the team can take advantage of dryer warmer conditions, while condensing the work into two 4-day super weekends avoids extending disruption over multiple months.

“The decision to fully close the road has been made with freight and the community in mind. If we’d chosen to use stop/go traffic management, the works would’ve taken 12–14 weeks. Compare that to a full closure, which allows work to be completed in 6–8 days. 

"NZTA contractors will have crews working 24/4 during the closures and are putting 75% of their Auckland & Northland paving crews on this as a top priority to complete these works as efficiently and quickly as possible,” Mr Matene says.