Brynderwyn Hills update: We'll be reopening State Highway 1 over the Brynderwyn Hills from 11:59pm on Wednesday 26 June.

Roadworkers are now in the process of finishing the last of the work planned under this full closure. During the closure we've created a shoulder space, stabilised the hillside, and moved an initial 180,000 cubic metres of soil, followed by a further 60,000 following the slips in late April. It's been a big job to create a shoulder space on the narrow and windy road – the roadworkers have done an exceptional job.

Thank you for your support during the closure. We know the closure has been disruptive. We've really appreciated your patience, especially while we've had to work to clear additional slips.

Thank you also to the roadworkers for the massive effort they've put in and for their diligent work. More than 900 people who have been involved with the project, working day and night in all kinds of conditions to keep things on track so the road could reopen as quickly as possible.

Our work to stabilise both the upslopes (above the road) and downslopes (the underside of the road) wouldn't've been possible without a full closure. The huge amount of earth cut away, the levels (benches) made in the hillside, and the piles and retaining walls we've installed will help the road withstand the next severe weather event.

The shoulder space we've created means that in future roadworkers can work on repairing the road without lengthy closures.

It all adds up to a more reliable SH1 for Northland, vital for communities and other groups such as freight and tourism.

When the road reopens you can expect to see downslope works, including drainage and anchors being installed using the newly-created shoulder and planting along the road. We’ll also lay a fresh coat of asphalt on the full road width when the weather is drier between October and December.

We'll continue monitoring and funding repairs for the two detour routes used during the closure to ensure your roads remain as high quality as possible until we've finished our work over the Brynderwyn Hills.