Roadworks and road closures

Construction of a new bridge on Amberley Avenue, between Pencarrow Street and Caroline Crescent, is ongoing until early-2025.

During this time, detour routes will redirect vehicles down Pencarrow Street and Clarke Avenue.

Pedestrian access across the bridge will be closed 24/7 during the construction period, as the contractor is unable to provide a safe passage through the worksite and there is no alternative route available.

We’re upgrading the watermain along Ashhurst and Stoney Creek Roads, near Bunnythorpe.

This project is being carried out by our Council water team and is part of our ongoing efforts to support city growth and improve the capacity of our wastewater system to manage increased flows.

Work will be ongoing until June, and will include six stages of construction from Raymond Street on Ashhurst Road to Nathan Place on Stoney Creek Road.

We completed work on Ashhurst Road at the end of April and reopened the road to two lanes. The team is now working on Stoney Creek Road

We’re upgrading the wastewater pipes on Botanical Road, between Featherston and Liverpool Streets, until mid-2025.

This project is being carried out by our Council water team and is part of our ongoing efforts to support city growth and improve the capacity of our wastewater system to manage increased flows.

As the pipes being upgraded are in the middle of the road, we’ll need to close parts of Botanical Road during each stage of construction. Side streets will be used as detour routes.

The project will be completed in five stages:

• Stage 1: Botanical/Featherston Street intersection (nightworks, from 6pm to 3am)
• Stage 2: Featherston to Brentwood Avenue
• Stage 3: Brentwood Avenue to Glasgow Street
• Stage 4: Glasgow Street to Coventry Street
• Stage 5: Coventry Street to Liverpool Street

We’re installing a new water main on Brightwater Terrace – from Napier Road to the entrance of Palmerston North Golf Club.

During the construction period, there will be stop/go traffic management in place to help you get safely around the construction area.

We had originally expected to complete this work in May. However, during construction we discovered that a section of pipe near the roundabout with Limbrick Street is in worse condition than expected.

While this has caused a delay, we’ve made the decision to upgrade this section now while our crew and equipment are already onsite. Doing this additional work now means we can avoid future disruptions and ensure the water supply is more reliable for the years to come.

We expect to complete this section by mid-June.

We’re carrying out upgrades to parts of Fitzherbert Avenue over the coming weeks.

This includes road repairs at the signalised intersection of Fitzherbert Avenue and Te Awe Awe Street, as well as an upgrade to the stormwater network from the Fitzherbert Bridge to Hughes Avenue opposite Fitzherbert Park. We’ll also be repairing some handrails on the Fitzherbert Bridge and doing some small patches of road repairs on Fitzherbert Avenue between Te Awe Awe Street and Ferguson Street.

Stormwater upgrade

The existing stormwater pipes are small, which makes the area prone to flooding during heavy rain. We’ll be increasing the size of these pipes to improve drainage. Work will be done during weekdays.

Intersection and road repairs

The road surface at the Fitzherbert/Te Awe Awe intersection is failing due to water damage, causing slumping tyre tracks, which means we need to repair the intersection before winter to avoid any further damage. We’ll be replacing some handrails on the Fitzherbert Bridge at the same time. Small sections of road also need to be repaired between Te Awe Awe and Ferguson Streets. These will take 1 or 2 days each and will involve a lane closure at each site.

The road repairs will be carried out by our road maintenance contractor, Fulton Hogan, and they will start in May. It will consist of a mix of day and night work. Most work will take place overnight from 6pm to 6am to keep the road functional during the day. Some work needs to take place during the day, such as resealing as it requires warmer temperatures. All work will take place during weekdays only, with no weekend work planned.

Traffic management

• Fitzherbert Avenue will have a temporary traffic layout, with all four vehicle lanes shifted and separated by flexi-poles to provide a safe workspace for water pipe installation and to reduce the number of traffic cones.
• Footpaths will remain open, but the cycle lanes will be detoured. People on bikes heading into town will be detoured via the river pathway or Victoria Esplanade and bikes heading to Summerhill will be detoured via Hughes Avenue.
• On-street parking will be removed within the affected area to enable space for the new road layout.
• The Fitzherbert/Te Awe Awe intersection will remain operational during the day, though speeds will be reduced as parts of the road will be unsealed at times. If Fulton Hogan are working during the day, the intersection will be kept open to one lane while they work on the other lane
• The entrance to Victoria Esplanade off Fitzherbert Avenue will remain open, except for about two days while we upgrade the pipes running beneath it.

From 26 May, Kahuterawa Road will be closed on weekdays to allow our contractor, Fulton Hogan, to carry out emergency repairs.

Work is expected to be finished by mid-June.

This work includes:

• Upgrading several culverts
• Adding improved roadside drainage
• Stabilising banks

Once these repairs are completed, a grader will come through for a final tidy-up of the road surface. Grading is scheduled to take place each autumn and spring.

Road closure schedule:

• Weekdays only
• Closed from 8:30am to 3pm
• Open from 3pm to 3:30pm (travel window for you to get through if required)
• Closed again from 3:30pm to 5pm

 Our road maintenance contractor Fulton Hogan is widening the road and intersection to improve visibility and safety for motorists.

Work is expected to be complete by June.

During this time, the intersection will be closed 24/7, and detours will be in place:

• Residents of Hartwell Drive will need to turn left onto Kelvin Grove Road and then onto Ashhurst Road.
• Residents of Simpsons Lane will need to turn right onto Henaghans Road.

Heavy vehicles will not be able to travel past the Stoney Creek Road intersection on Kelvin Grove Road, nor will they be able to turn onto Kelvin Grove Road from Ashhurst Road, unless they are accessing a farm or property where they can turn around.

From Monday 5 May, the bridge on Mihaere Drive will be closed to all traffic and pedestrians for about four weeks. Working hours will be between 7am and 5pm, however, the road and footpaths will always remain closed.

The project involves strengthening the rail bridge to ensure its long-term safety and reliability. The work will also increase the weight capacity of the bridge to cope with increasing freight demands.

Construction activities include:

• Removing asphalt concrete from the bridge deck
• Installing 11-metre-long beams under the bridge
• Installing steel brackets to secure the new beams in place

Detour routes

Bridge strengthening is complex and requires both road and footpath closures to allow safe access for heavy equipment and to protect workers and the community. Closing the bridge also allows the construction team to finish the job quicker, which creates less disruption to road users, than if they were forced to maintain traffic lanes during construction.

During the closure, detours will be in place via Kaimanawa Street and Keith Street. Signage will be installed to direct traffic and pedestrians around the worksite. Access to all properties will remain.

If you catch the 106 bus around Mihaere Drive, there will be a detour and some stop closures in place while this work is complete.

Upgrading Stoney Creek Road is in our Long-Term Plan – design work is ongoing this financial year, and our plan is to go out for tender/construction in 2025/2026.

In the meantime, we've temporarily lowered the speed limit to 70km/h and we will continue to address any potholes and pavement failures as they present themselves.

NZTA is responsible for state highways. Visit its website for information about the work it's doing. There's also a journey planner to help you plan your trip, including updates on delays, roadworks and road closures.