Road closures around a major a State Highway 1 intersection upgrade in Rolleston will ease over Christmas, but work will ramp up again in early 2026.

Selwyn Mayor Lydia Gliddon says she is impressed with the progress of the work so far.

“They are not mucking around.”

The first stage of the SH1 Rolleston access improvements project, a new roundabout at the SH1 and Dunns Crossing/Walkers Roads intersection, is well underway.

It is due to be completed by the end of 2026.

The Selwyn District Council is also making moves to ensure its part in the wider project happens on time.

NZTA central and lower South Island infrastructure regional manager Sean Walsh agreed with the mayor's take on the SH1 project.

“We are making good progress on site.

“The crews working on the project are due to wrap for the Christmas-New Year period at the end of this week.

“As much of the traffic management as possible, including the closure into Dunns Crossing Road will be lifted.”

Contractors will be back on site from January 5 and “people can expect a ramp up in activity through the early months of 2026”.

Recent work has been happening at both the intersection of Dunns Crossing Road and State Highway 1, and the Walkers/Runners Road intersection, including protecting and relocating existing utilities, such as pipes, cables, and phone lines, Walsh said.

Contractors are working to relocate utilities at the intersection at night to avoid daytime highway closures.

As the trenches are installed, provision is being made for future utilities to support development in the fast-growing area and avoid reopening the road later, he said.

“The team has also started pre-casting the components for the pedestrian and cycling subway, which is a key feature of the Access Improvements project.”

Up to 200 southern grass skinks, classed as at risk and declining, are estimated to be living in the long grass beside the highway, according to ecological surveys.

More than 100 protected lizards have been collected from the site and safely rehomed to a prepared habitat along the Selwyn River.

Stage 2 of the project is for a new flyover bridge over SH1, connecting residential Rolleston with the industrial area, and associated improvements, including the widening of Hoskyns Road.

Work continues on design, property acquisition, and consenting for Stage 2, with an anticipated construction start date of October 2026 and completion in late 2028.

The SH1 widening project south of Dunns Crossing Road, not part of the roundabout project, has just had some remedial work completed and the first coat of chipseal put down, Walsh said.

The second coat and line-marking is due to be done by February 2026.

With steady progress on the new roundabout on State Highway 1, other elements of the overall project are also moving forward.

NZTA confirmed co-funding for Selwyn District Council’s transport programme, approving 51% funding for the $20m widening and roundabout at the intersection of Two Chain and Walkers roads, freeing up funding for the $1.8m road strengthening along Jones Road.

Walsh said the work on Two Chain Road and Jones Road is not part of NZTA’s Rolleston Access Improvements project, but the local road upgrades “will provide a crucial link to the industrial area to help realise the benefits of the Access Improvements project”.

Last week the council approved the negotiations for land acquisitions for a new roundabout at the Walkers and Two Chain roads intersection, and the realignment of Two Chain, Wards, and Jones Roads.

It also approved the funding for the Jones Road works after securing the additional co-funding from NZTA to bring the project forward.

The projects need to be completed in time to provide for heavy traffic detour when NZTA begins the Rolleston flyover project.

The co-funding also freed up money to cover other sites in the council’s renewal programme.

“It’s a good news story if we can make what we do have go a lot further after securing that co-funding,” Gliddon said.

By Jonathan Leask