Central Otago summer highway work under way
Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes District highways have a big season of summer maintenance and repairs ahead, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency says.
“It may well be the biggest construction period for the two districts in many seasons,” Otago maintenance contract manager Peter Standring said.
Aspiring Highways, on behalf of Waka Kotahi, will deliver road reconstruction and resurfacing projects from now until mid-March as daylight hours increase, and the warmer temperatures and dry air help new seals stick as intended to the road surface.
“While we are pleased to have this work scheduled and people will appreciate the finished result, we ask people to take special care given the number of road crews they may come across on some key routes in and out of Central Otago and around Queenstown and Wānaka,” Standring said.
“There are also a number of third-party, privately-funded projects under way adjoining or on the highway, adding to the number of road crews people will encounter. If people can build in an extra 20 minutes to their journeys, it will help ease the pressure on everyone and reduce the temptation to make up time if there is a short delay."
Overall, 60km of highway will be resealed between November 7g and December 16.
The highways will be as free of work as possible in the lead-in to Christmas and the new year peak holiday periods when most traffic is on the roads. Resurfacing work will continue from January 23 into March, 2023.
Some work will be done overnight to minimise daytime delays. These include:
- SH6 Kawarau Gorge through to east of the Crown Range intersection
- SH6 Jack Hanley Drive intersection, Frankton/Queenstown.
- SH6 near Wāanaka Airport.
Work in the new year also includes two pavement renewal/reconstruction sites of 2km at SH8 Millers Flat and SH6 Kidd Creek.
Residents in places getting high impact highway work should receive direct updates in their letterboxes in advance.
Check your route before you travel at www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz...
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
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4.7% Second half of November
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43.6% 1st December
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17.4% A week before Christmas
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33.2% Whenever you wish
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.