State Highway 29 over the Kaimāī Range will be closed for four nights.

The highway will be closed from Sunday, June 15, to Thursday, June 19, between 8pm and 3.30am each night.

Roading contractors will be completing routine maintenance, including drain clearing, sign maintenance, road marking and surface repairs.

“We occasionally close SH29 for essential maintenance works. The full closures allow us to complete the work safety and efficiently – benefiting both road worker crews and road users,” said NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi Waikato system manager Andy Oakley.

SH29 plays a critical role in connecting New Zealand’s largest port with the wider Golden Triangle region.

With about 14,000 vehicles, including thousands of heavy vehicles, using the road daily, maintaining it is essential for safety and accessibility.

“We’ve worked closely with freight operators and roading contractors to co-ordinate the best possible schedule for these closures. By confirming specific days and times, regular road users – including freight operators – plan ahead to minimise disruptions to themselves and their customers,” said Oakley.

The detours for this closure are significant and add considerable time to journeys.

A map showing the closure and alternative routes. Image / NZTA

People were 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 Kaimāī Range.”

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 Rd intersection.

Emergency services will have access at all times, and residents can access their property from the relevant side of the closure.

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