SH3 through Awakino Gorge will close from 7pm to 4am for 9 consecutive nights, beginning at 7pm Tuesday 27 October and reopening after the final closure at 4am Thursday 5 November 2026. The road will reopen from 4am each day under stop/go traffic management.

The closure hours have been planned to minimise disruption to road users, including freight operators. Reopening SH3 at 4am each morning will allow early freight movements through the gorge. The shorter 9-hour closure window means the work will take 9 nights to complete, 2 more than originally proposed. This balances reducing disruption each night with providing enough time to complete the work safely and efficiently.

The closures are needed for the next stage of constructing the permanent retaining wall at the major slip site. Approximately 41 anchors, each up to 7 metres long, will be installed into stable ground behind the wall to help hold it firmly in place. Installing the anchors is necessary to complete the retaining wall and the new section of road being built past the slip, allowing this section of SH3 to reopen to 2 lanes.

The machinery used to drill the anchor holes will take up the full width of the lane currently carrying traffic, leaving no safe space for vehicles to pass. Scheduled openings will not be possible because each anchor hole must be fully drilled before the machinery can be moved out of the lane. Stopping work to clear the lane and then setting up the worksite again would also slow progress and would likely require additional nights of closures.

The closure points will be between the rest area near the Awakino Historic Tunnel and the intersection of SH3 with Manganui Road. The alternative state highway route during the closures will be via SH1 and SH4.

While the road is closed, road workers will also carry out drainage maintenance.