Road and Highway Conditions

Important roading alerts will be visible at the top of our homepagePlease note that news on our Council roads is updated as soon as we receive confirmed reports from our roading crews. Please take care and drive to the conditions.

Weather-related road alerts

Please be patient, allow extra time for your journey, drive to the conditions and follow directions on signs and from our traffic management crews. We want everyone to get where they're going safely.

We've had reports of people moving signs and taking traffic management into their own hands. Please leave it to our roading contractors. If you spot any issues on roads report them to 0800 Highways (for State Highways) or our Council's call centre for local roads on 07 868 0200.

Road closure

  • Tapu-Coroglen Rd remains closed 10km from Tapu. It is expected to re-open at 5pm on Friday 8 December. See more information in the repair update below.

The latest on our local Council roads

Priority sites for repair from cyclone damage in early 2023:

Tapu-Coroglen Road repair update

Tapu Coroglen reopening on track for early December

Tapu-Coroglen Road is expected to reopen to traffic at 5pm on Friday 8 December, weather permitting. 

Works are still ongoing to remedy the damage to the new pavement layers caused by this  week’s rainy weather, and it is likely that the road will still need additional work the week beginning Monday 11 December under stop/go at both the slip site and two other locations on the road where our pavement renewals have been affected. At this time drivers are advised that the road pavement is not the final surface and appropriate care should be taken when travelling the route.

If traffic is heavy on the route, given SH25A is still closed, it is likely that  additional damage will occur to the pavement as a result. This damage will be repaired over the two weeks before Christmas so that the route can remain open during the holiday period, and traffic will be delayed as a result.

The route will still remain permanently closed to all vehicles over 12.60 metres in length and is not an approved diversion route for the closure on State Highway 25A. 

Black Jack Road repairs underway

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Kelsey Construction Ltd has been awarded the contract for the Black Jack Road slip repairs at Kūaotunu through to Otama. Work started 13 November at 1.67km from the junction with State Highway 25, and are expected to take four weeks. Kelsey Construction will return on the 15 January 2024 to begin works at 1.96km, with that site expected to take six weeks to construct.

Every effort will be made to ensure both noise and dust are kept to a minimum to prioritise the health, safety and well-being of neighbouring residents. Temporary Traffic Management will involve road closures up to 50 minutes at a time, with the road open for 10 minutes on the hour. We'll be doing everything possible to limit delays and will only implement 50-minute closures when necessary.

Regular access to residential properties will be maintained during construction and any temporary closures will be communicated directly to residents to arrange suitable times.

If you have any concerns, please contact Kelsey Construction or our Council:

Thames-Coromandel District Council 

07 868 0200 | customer.services@tcdc.govt.nz

Kelsey Construction Ltd: Alex Kelsey, 021 781 727

Work update:

  • Timber poles and lagging completed.
  • Pavement works ongoing at RP 1.67km.
  • Backfill completed.
  • Dish channel and culvert replacement work to begin week of 4 December.
  • Timber wall site expected to be completed by Friday 8 December.
  • MSE wall to start works Sunday 15 January and be completed by the end of February. 

Northern Coromandel road repairs

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Colville Rd - 6.8km and 8.9km sites

  • The works contract for these sites has been awarded to Nick Pemberton Construction.
  • 6.8km site: Work is progressing. The backfill is 
  • 8.9km site: Work on a retaining wall began 20 November and will take approximately four weeks to complete.

Colville Rd Gabion Basket Walls

  • This work has been awarded to JC Civil Construction Ltd.
  • Construction is expected to start in the new year.

Colville Rd 16.2km site

  • On TenderLink and GETS. Tender closes Friday 8 December.

Colville Rd RP 7.9km, 7.8km and 8.7km sites

  • Out for pricing via the prequalified suppliers list. Closes Tuesday 12 December.

Colville Rd 15km (near Waitete Bay Rd Intersection)

  • Drawings being finalised. 
  • Will be tendered via GETS and TenderLink in the New Year. 
  • Will require rolling road closures. Discussions have started with residents.

Kennedy Bay Rd

  • 4.8km site: Contract has been awarded to Nicholls and Uttinger Civil. Work has begun and is expected to be completed by 31 January 2024.

For the following three sites, traffic management will be in place, including speed restrictions and traffic lights. Expect delays of up to 15 minutes from 7am to 7pm, Monday – Saturday.

  • 1.1km slip site: Construction period 11-15 December.
  • 3.5km, slip repairs period: 4-8 December
  • 5.1km slip site10-17 January. 

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SH25A Rebuild (Waka Kotahi NZTA)

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Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has confirmed that State Highway 25A between Kōpū and Hikuai will be re-open to traffic in time for Christmas, by Wednesday 20 December – three months earlier than anticipated. 

With finishing works still ongoing, the bridge will open under traffic management at a reduced speed. The project team will be completing drainage and planting, so the project won’t be fully complete for a few more months. This work won’t require the road to be closed, though traffic management will be required from time to time.

The cost of the bridge, once everything is finished, is expected to be approximately $43m, under the $50m estimate.

Last week the team finished the soil nailing which stabilises the slip-face. They are now completing the grouting and getting the mesh in place and bearing plates on the slip face.

The pavement on the western road approach was finished and the kerb and channel and transition side barriers between the road approach and the bridge installed.

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On the eastern approach precast stormwater u-channels are now in place and the slope above the southern side of the road hydroseeded.

On the bridge, the barrier stitch pours were finished and the elliptical top-rails installed. A layer of asphalt was laid on the bridge deck to level the surface.

Our next steps are to chip seal and lay the final asphalt layer all the way from one approach to the other, including on the bridge deck. This will require a few days of dry weather.

We’ll also install the side barriers on the approach roads, continue with the stormwater drainage, and working through finishing works such as line marking and installing signage.

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with: 

State highway maintenance and recovery work (Waka Kotahi NZTA)

The next two months will see Waka Kotahi NZTA's contractors undertaking a flurry of chip sealing and asphalt surfacing across the Waikato, alongside the larger infrastructure projects. This contributes to improving the condition of the state highway network, resulting in smoother journeys for all.

Work has been planned to minimise delays, but given the volume of work, there are few sections of the network where people won’t experience some sort of disruption. It’s important during the summer months to factor in extra time to your journey, to ensure you arrive on time to your destination.

The Waka Kotahi Journey Planner (journeys.nzta.govt.nz) is the best place for information on the status of the state highway network. With live updates on worksites and other road hazards, Journey Planner can help road users plot the best route to their destination.

Works underway or about to start include:

· Repairs continue with traffic management in place at several sites around SH25.

· At Ruamahunga work continues to stabilise the slip face, with stop/go traffic management in place and stop/stop when helicopters are in use. This work will be paused from 22 December until 8 January, with the road reopened to two lanes during that time.

· Work to repair under-slips at Wharekaho and Pumpkin Hill will also pause from 22 December, again with both lanes available to traffic over the holiday period.

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You can view the Waka Kotahi 2023/2024 road works season here.

State Highway Status

State Highways are controlled by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. Check their website for State Highway status updates. 

With work still underway at multiple sites along SH25, it's important that motorists drive to the conditions.

To keep contractors and road users safe, signage is in place to give advance warning of worksites and potential hazards such as slippery or uneven surfaces. Please follow any temporary speed restrictions and reduce your speed as you approach these sites.

Check Waka Kotahi's website or Facebook page for the latest updates.

Safer speeds introduced for State Highway 25

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has introduced temporary speed limit changes to sections of State Highway 25 to make the road safer while State Highway 25A is closed. Waka Kotahi is making these changes to ensure speed limits fit the current use and conditions of the road.

New speeds of 50kmh, 60kmh and 80kmh have been implemented primarily through the many small communities and along the narrow and winding coastal sections between Thames and Coromandel.

On the east coast, two new reduced speed zones have been introduced at Coroglen and Te Rerenga, and existing reduced speed zones have been lowered at Kōpū, Kūaotunu, Wharekaho and Whangamatā.

New signage is now installed. The temporary speed reductions will be removed once the bridge reconnecting SH25A is open.

Read more


See any road safety issues?

If you see anything on our local roads, let us know on 07 868 0200 or email customer.services@tcdc.govt.nz. For State Highways, contact 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49).

We will keep you informed here and on our Facebook page of any road closures. For State Highways under Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency's control, keep an eye on their website.
 
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