A safer and smoother road surface is on the way for State Highway 1 south of Picton, the gateway to the South Island.

Contractors will be hard at work on the highway, just north of Tuamarina between Picton and Blenheim, for 10 days starting Sunday, 6 September.

Wayne Oldfield, Area Manager Marlborough, says they will asphalt a 450-metre-long section of the highway at Nolan’s Crossing. 

“Work crews will mill out the old road surface and replace both lanes with new asphalt. This will improve skid resistance and road grip for traffic.” 

“We are expecting to lay around 4,500 square metres of asphalt. The result will be a much improved and safer road surface for a route that carries over 6,000 vehicles every day,” Mr Oldfield says.

Due to the nature of the work required, Mr Oldfield says it will affect traffic.

“For a job of this size, it is unavoidable. However, we will do our best to minimise disruption.”

“Our road crews will be working 24 hours a day for 10 days. This will allow the job to be completed faster, reducing overall disruption to the public,” Mr Oldfield says.

Stop/Go traffic management will be in place, and drivers can expect 10-minute delays while travelling through the work site.

Mr Oldfield says this is essential work and will bring long-term benefits. “People travelling between Picton and Blenheim will have noticed the temporary speed limit through this site following a temporary fix earlier this year. This work will permanently address the issues where the pavement has reached the end of its life.” 

“Doing a long-term fix now means less maintenance, fewer disruptions for drivers, and reduced long-term maintenance costs in the future,” Mr Oldfield says.

He says with spring and summer just around the corner, road users can expect to encounter more roadworks sites across the Marlborough region over the coming months. 

“Our contractors will be carrying out road rebuilding, resurfacing, and chipsealing on all of the main State Highways including State Highway 1, State Highway 6, and State Highway 63.” 

“We will have more to say and more information to share about the specific sites and the work involved once our programme is confirmed,” Mr Oldfield says.