There's disappointment among some as State Highway 1 in the Central North Island will be closed for repairs for two months.

The Desert Road is closing between Turangi and Waiouru from January 6 until the end of February.

The detour will add half an hour and an extra 50 kilometres to journeys.

NZTA's Roger Brady says the approach is well-planned - and the closure lets them squeeze in four months' worth of work into two.

"So instead of having a long, drawn-out, ongoing inconvenience - yes, it's going to be inconvenient, but there'll be a limit to the inconvenience to two months." 

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There's disappointment among some as State Highway 1 in the Central North Island will be closed for repairs for two months.
The Desert Road is closing between Turangi and Waiouru from January 6 until the end of February.
The detour will add half an hour and an extra 50 kilometres to journeys.
NZTA's Roger Brady says the approach is well-planned - and the closure lets them squeeze in four months' worth of work into two.
"So instead of having a long, drawn-out, ongoing inconvenience - yes, it's going to be inconvenient, but there'll be a limit to the inconvenience to two months."&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Roger Brady: NZTA spokesperson on the planned closure of State Highway 1 for two months

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/7a53c0cc-5fcb-411e-a7a3-b22d006024b0/transcript