“Due to project works in Otaki, road users should expect intermittent traffic management and lowered speed limits. Take care and adhere to the speed limit at all times.” –NZTA announcement from yesterday.

Returning from Napier yesterday involved three “intermittent traffic management” sections, the first upon reaching the Manawatu Gorge, where a completely new route is being planned (see here) and it’s still a case of taking the high road detour — that will probably continue for years; the second was the one quoted above, which for us began between Ohau and Manakau — it took about an hour to get from there to Otaki, where the infamous roundabout was extra busy with traffic going to and from the kite festival.  By late next year that should thankfully be over when the ‘Ewy’ extension opens to just north of the bridge over the railway.

Lastly, not involving much delay because there isn’t a lot of traffic, was the old SH1 between the Peka Peka offramp and Waikanae town centre, where work continues to install the unnecessary cycle lanes and that will probably last  several more weeks.