The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has announced the reopening of State Highway 1 Desert Road following an extensive eight-week closure that formed part of what officials described as "New Zealand's largest and most ambitious maintenance project yet."
The work, which finished on schedule, exceeded its original scope with crews repairing 28 lane kilometres of road – 12 more than initially planned. Workers also completed a full rebuild of the Mangatoetoenui Bridge deck using what NZTA called "the country's biggest mobile crane."
An NZTA spokesperson explained the scale of the undertaking: "This is the biggest zone of the project, which encompasses about 23% of the overall work. We've had to do some significant stabilising of the existing pavement before we've built the new one on top."
In the final week of the project, crews laid an impressive 500 tonnes of asphalt per day to take advantage of favourable weather conditions and ensure on-time completion.
"We've definitely had our finger on the pulse for the last couple of months," one worker noted. "The volume of work that we have to deliver out here would not get done if everyone at each level wasn't playing their part."
NZTA completes massive Desert Road upgrade: 28 lane kilometres rebuilt and bridge deck replaced in eight-week project.
While many motorists will welcome the reopening, the closure has created an unexpected business boom for some communities along the detour route, particularly in Ohakune.
TCB Ski Board and Bike managing director Ben Wiggins told RNZ that retail and hospitality businesses in Ohakune's main street experienced dramatic increases in trade during the closure.
"Many businesses in the town's main street were doing record numbers of sales, some even up to 400 percent what they would have normally done," Wiggins said.
His own business saw more modest gains of 5-10 percent, though he noted the detour meant fewer visitors from places like Taupō. With the road now reopening, Wiggins expects to see growth in other areas of his business, such as heli-biking.
The detour appears to have introduced many travellers to Ohakune for the first time, potentially creating ongoing benefits for the town. "A lot of people who had come through Ohakune hadn't stopped there before, and after visiting some were now planning to stop there in the future," Wiggins told RNZ.
His sentiment about the closure was clear: "It's the only time that our little town's wish is that the road works would go longer."
Meanwhile, NZTA is urging motorists to observe temporary speed limits while the new chipseal settles, using the catchy slogan: "We don't want to see your crack."
"SH1 Desert Road still has significant areas where the chipseal needs to bed in with traffic driving over it so, to avoid those cracks, slow down and stick to the temporary speed limits and traffic management," NZTA advised.
Drivers are encouraged to maintain at least three car lengths from vehicles ahead to minimise the risk of loose stones causing windscreen damage, with New Zealand Police maintaining an increased presence to enforce the temporary restrictions.
NZTA confirmed they will return at a later date to apply the final road surface, with this work planned to occur primarily at night under stop/go traffic management. The scheduling for this final phase is still being determined.
