A scheduled closure on State Highway 29 Kaimai Range will take place over four nights from Sunday, September 15, to Thursday, September 19, from 8pm to 3.30am each night.

The closures are needed to undertake asphalt renewals and other routine maintenance activities such as clearing drains, sign maintenance and road marking.

“This is the fourth time we have closed SH29 for maintenance works. We have found the full closure provides huge safety benefits for both crews and road users,” said Roger Brady, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi regional manager maintenance and operations, Waikato Bay of Plenty.

SH29 is a critical route, providing the key link between the country’s largest port and the ‘Golden Triangle’.

“Around 14,000 vehicles use this road every day, including several thousand heavy vehicles. It’s critical we maintain SH29, to ensure the route is safe and accessible for all road users,” Brady said.

“We’ve collaborated with freight operators and roading contractors to confirm days and times that work best for everybody. By locking in a schedule, regular road users including freight operators, can make plans to minimise the disruption to themselves and their customers.”

The detours for this closure are significant and add considerable time to journeys. People are encouraged to check the NZTA Journey Planner and allow extra time for their journey, or if possible, delay travel over SH29 on these nights.

“We’d like to thank our stakeholders and partners for working with us on this. While disruptive in the short term, everyone will enjoy the benefits of having a more reliable and safer route over the Kaimai Range,” said Brady.

The closure points on the western (Waikato) side are at the SH29/24 and SH29/28 intersections and on the eastern (BOP) side at the SH29/Cambridge Road intersection. Emergency services will have access at all times, and residents can access their property from the relevant side of the closure.

A map showing the detours during the Kaimai Range closure. Supplied photo.

Works timetable for other upcoming closures - current at the time of printing:

November 2024

Sunday 17 – Thursday 21 (5 nights), 8pm – 3.30am

February 2025

Sunday 16 – Thursday 20 (5 nights), 8pm – 4.30am*

*Note February closure is 1 hour later

Alternative routes

-South: all vehicles: SH28, SH5, SH30, SH33, SH2 via Rotorua

-South: light vehicles: SH28, SH5, SH36 via Rotorua

-North: SH24, SH27, SH26, SH2 via Karangahake Gorge

- SunLive