New Zealand's most ambitious road maintenance project ever undertaken is now drawing to a close. 119 lane kilometres of State Highway 1 (SH1) have successfully been rehabilitated or resealed between Tīrau and Waiouru.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop expressed gratitude to truck drivers, motorists, local residents, and NZTA contractors for their patience and hard work. As an indication of how badly the works were needed, the project addressed sections of the highway that had required 5,670 pothole repairs over the past couple of years, making short-term repairs inefficient. Instead of just resealing, many areas were completely rebuilt to reduce future disruptions.

This speaks to the state of disrepair that the road was allowed to fall into. In the Minister’s own words “these were some pretty sad sections of state highway”. This is why National Road Carriers (NRC) continually calls for the locking in of maintenance spend by road controlling authorities, and financial reporting to ensure it gets spent appropriately each year.

While feedback from NRC members surveyed was positive about the closure for the works, with 80% supporting, there is no doubt the closure impacted freight operations. Transport operators have worked hard managing the closure, with dispatches adjusting deliveries to work through the extra kilometres travelled on detours, timing changes and driver hours impacts. Drivers have been patient and got on with the job despite the delays.

The project is part of the Government’s $2.07 billion Pothole Prevention fund, condensing four years of roadworks into two maintenance seasons. Despite the inconvenience caused by road closures, the work allowed for significant improvements, including maintenance, drainage, road rebuilding, and safety enhancements. The upgraded road has also been enhanced for safety, reducing the likelihood of crashes resulting in death or serious injury.

It's been a massive construction effort: the project involved 32 contracting firms working over 110,000 hours, with the road freight industry playing its part with up to 145 truckloads of roading metal delivered daily at its peak. While there is still work to be done next season, including final surfacing and additional maintenance, this is a major leap forward for a critical part of State Highway 1.

The not so good - Trucks cutting through the neighbourhood to get to the port is bad for everyone.

One of our most important jobs at NRC is drawing attention in every way we can to the incredible job the people in the road freight industry do each day. The flipside is highlighting behaviours that threaten the trust New Zealanders have in us.

Over the past year, an increasing number of trucks have been cutting through the Auckland suburb of Ōrākei, drawing attention for all the wrong reasons. Most recently the Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson has added her voice to community calls for trucks to stop using Ōrākei Road as a cut-through route from the motorway to the Port.

The Deputy-Mayor is right – the problem is real, during a five-minute drive I’ve counted a dozen trucks driving through the suburban area that is populated with two major schools, parks and walkways.

This challenge is not unique to Auckland, and one that all members should be thinking about – how can you look after your local communities by managing the impacts of heavy vehicles and where they operate.

The strategic freight route runs through the SH1 and SH16 motorway network, and along Ngapipi and Kepa roads for those heading east.

Trucks taking the Ōrākei Road route to and from the Port, for whatever reason, are  taking unnecessarily risks given the community that use these roads.

NRC is calling on transport operators at the Port of Auckland to stop using Ōrākei Rd, and to instruct drivers to use the Strategic Freight Network to and from the Port. Drivers should be instructed to follow the motorway or the Kepa Rd / Ngapipi Rd routes. 

Navigation apps may also be playing a part by sending trucks through Ōrākei Rd at times if congestion appears bad at spaghetti junction. Drivers may need to be told to ignore the apps if this happens and follow the strategic freight route.

We are asking members to commit to using the strategic freight route and play their part for the community.  As part of this commitment we’d ask that you formalise it within your business, and communicate to drivers and dispatchers the importance of following the right strategic routes.

NRC has  received a positive response from port operator members. We continue to monitor the traffic and are notifying members when their reports of their drivers taking Ōrākei Rd.

Streamlining our communications 

Starting in May, we’re merging our weekly Road Report and Full Throttle emails into a single, streamlined newsletter called NRC Heads Up. This new weekly update will bring together the latest news, insights, and advice on all things transport - making it easier for members to stay informed in one convenient place.

Wishing you all a safe and peaceful Easter break with families and loved ones.

Justin Tighe-Umbers, Chief Executive, National Road Carriers Assn