Southern Connection
WHAT ARE WE DOING?
With work on the new motorway connections progressing well, we still have work underway at the Southern Connection.
Please check the information and schedules below regularly for any changes so you can plan ahead to avoid congestion.
Information and schedule for completion works at the Southern Connection
- Road layout change – North of Johnstone's Hill Tunnels – Still in place
- SH1 overnight road and ramp closures – May 2023
SH1 Road layout change – North of Johnstone's Hill Tunnels
**KING’S BIRTHDAY WEEKEND TRAVEL** The Johnstone's Hill Tunnels can be a bottleneck for traffic, especially at weekends or on public holidays so motorists are advised to expect significant delays at peak times and should allow additional time for their journeys or consider an alternate route such as SH16. Our team will be doing what they can to coordinate traffic management across the site to minimise delays as much as possible.
Road layout changes are still in place at the Southern Connection. Please drive with care and slow down in the work zone.
All northbound travellers continue to exit off at the Pūhoi northbound off-ramp and are directed onto a short section of Pūhoi Road and then back onto the existing SH1. This change will remain in place until the safer, more resilient and reliable route fully opens before the end of the second quarter.
This layout change allows the team to work safely in areas currently used by SH1 traffic as we prepare to move this section of the motorway into its final layout.
A temporary speed limit of 30km/h will be in place, and there will be traffic management (stop/go at peak times and temporary traffic signals at off-peak times) to assist with access to and from Pūhoi village.
NX2 asks road users to take care while they adjust to the new road layout and stick with the temporary speed limits. Allow extra time when travelling through this area, especially during peak periods including King’s Birthday weekend.
There will be delays around the peak travel times. While all efforts have been made to limit disruption to traffic flows, we encourage you to plan your journey over this time and check the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner before heading out https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/
SH1 overnight road closures
There are night works associated with the new layout change, and are scheduled to take place as follows:
Activity |
Dates and Times |
Impact |
Thermoplastic line marking |
Sunday 14 May Monday 15 May Tuesday 16 May Wednesday 17 May Thursday 18 May (CANCELLED) Sunday 21 May (CANCELLED) Monday 22 May (CANCELLED) Tuesday 23 May Wednesday 24 May Thursday 25 May 9pm to 5am This work is highly weather dependent and can’t be done in the rain or if the ground is wet. The team have allowed contingency in these two weeks, however if there is significant rain during these dates, the work will need to be pushed out to the next fine night. |
SH1 will be closed northbound from Silverdale to Johnstones Hill Tunnels SH will be closed southbound from Johnstones Hill Tunnels to Grand Drive Detours will be in place via Hibiscus Coast Highway or SH16 |
Road users are encouraged to keep checking here, Facebook @aratuhonopuhoitowarkworth and/or Waka Kotahi Journey Planner www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz for up to date information.
Waka Kotahi and NX2 would like to thank local residents and motorists for their patience while we undertake this important work.
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Pūhoi on- and off-ramps
South-facing on- and off-ramps have been built at Pūhoi. This means if you are heading north, you can exit at Pūhoi and you can also go south by joining the motorway at Pūhoi..
The new Pūhoi on-ramp currently has both north-bound and south-bound (bi-directional) traffic using it. This is temporary and will remain in place until the motorway opens, it will then revert to a south-bound on-ramp only.
Motorists travelling north will have the option of exiting at the on-ramp and re-joining SH1 or exiting at the Pūhoi off-ramp onto Pūhoi Road.
SH1 south of Pūhoi Road through to 1378 Hibiscus Coast Highway will become a one-way road for south-bound traffic only. This will remain in place until the opening of the new motorway.