Thursday 1 October – Tuesday 6 October 2026
State Highway 1 (SH1) between Tūrangi and Motuoapa will be fully closed from 8pm Thursday 1 October until 5am Tuesday 6 October while critical strengthening work is carried out on the Waiotaka Bridge, near Waiotaka Scenic Reserve.
🚧 What you need to know
- Full closure: SH1 must be completely closed to allow the work to be carried out safely.
- Detour: Traffic will be diverted via SH41, SH32 and SH30, reconnecting with SH1 at Ātiamuri.
- Extra travel time: The detour adds approximately 110km and 1 hour 22 minutes to journeys.
- Tūrangi–Taupō: Travel will increase by around 60km and 45 minutes.
- No access through the worksite: There will be no access through the closure during construction, including for emergency services. Alternative arrangements are in place for emergency services.
- Resident access: Resident-only access will be available at either side of the closure via SH1/Pīhanga Road and SH1/Parekarangaranga Street.
- Closure points will be at the intersections of SH1 and Grace/Waiotaka Roads in Tūrangi, and SH1 and Korohe Road in Motuoapa.
🛠️ Wider bridge maintenance programme
The Waiotaka Bridge work forms part of NZTA’s ongoing investment in improving resilience across vulnerable sections of the state highway network.
Other Central North Island bridges planned for maintenance and strengthening this season include:
- SH1 Mangatawai Stream Bridge
- SH1 Poutū Bridge
- SH49 Mākōtuku River Bridge
- SH4 Manganui-a-Te-Ao Bridge
These works are expected to be carried out under stop/go traffic management with temporary reduced speed limits.
