Skip to content
Waikato District Council - Te Kaunihera aa Takiwaa o Waikato

Permission to access the road corridor

Any work or activities on the road or roadside must be planned and managed to keep everyone safe and to minimise disruption. Submit a Corridor Access Request (CAR) to obtain a permit from Council before carrying out any work or activity in the road corridor.

What is a corridor access request (CAR)

A CAR is an application to Council seeking permission (a permit) to carry out work or activities within the road corridor that may affect its safety, operation or use. A CAR is needed for a wide range of activities including events, road maintenance and infrastructure works.

As part of the CAR submission process, Council may ask you to submit one or more of the following:

Traffic management plan (TMP)
A TMP identifies and addresses risks posed by the worksite
Application for a temporary road closure
A road closure may be needed if it is not feasible to safely maintain a single lane of traffic during your event, activity or works

What is the road corridor?

The road corridor is the area between the private boundaries on either side of the road. It is the road itself (the carriageway), the berm and the footpath.

A diagram showing the area known as the road corridor.

Situations where you need to submit a CAR

Common situations include:

Why submitting a CAR matters

Work and activities on the road or roadside may present many risks that can lead to injury or death. Everybody involved must proactively do everything they can to identify risks and put in place controls to eliminate or minimise the risks to workers and road users.

Reasons for the PCBU

The PCBU is the 'person conducting a business or undertaking.' In this context, it is typically the contractor, utility provider, event organiser or farmer seeking to work within the road corridor.

When you are the PCBU, your duty is to keep road users and workers safe. Submitting a CAR is a legal requirement and important step in meeting your duties as the PCBU under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

Reasons for Council

As the Road Controlling Authority, Council needs to authorise any work or activity on the road corridor so that we may:

  • ensure the safety of road users and workers
  • protect public infrastructure
  • coordinate activities to minimise network disruption

Who is responsible for what

PCBU responsibilities

As the PCBU, you are responsible for identifying and managing risk as required under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

You must identify, assess and actively manage worksite risks to ensure the safety of:

  • staff working within the road corridor
  • public users of the road corridor

You or your contractor is responsible for supplying the site-specific risk assessments and traffic management plan (TMP) to Council for approval. 

"If you create the risk, you manage the risk."

New Zealand guide to temporary traffic management

Council responsibilities

Council will:

  • approve access to the road corridor
  • approve road closures
  • authorise temporary speed limits
  • coordinate roadworks across the network
  • authorise traffic control devices, such as traffic signs
  • audit worksites

For TMPs, Councill will:

  • review identified risks
  • provide guidance on any potential hazards not identified
  • assess the control measures selected
  • seek to understand why higher-level controls were not considered reasonably practicable

Council does not:

  • set specific traffic management methods
  • design traffic management plans
  • manage risks for the contractor

These are the responsibility of the PCBU.

Follow these guidelines as the PCBU

Your TMP should:

  • accurately reflect real-world risks
  • include assessments that identify and address specific risks
  • only include hazards that affect the interface between the worksite and road users

Do not:

  • rely on generic layouts
  • include internal PCBU hazards in your TMP
Actively consult, coordinate, and cooperate with Council and other impacted stakeholders throughout the project.

You must ensure all site personnel, designers, and subcontractors hold the relevant training and competencies to safely execute their duties.

Temporary traffic management (TTM) cannot be "set and forget." Contractors must continuously monitor the site, adjust risk controls dynamically as conditions change, and supervise staff accordingly.

Find guidance, learning materials, engineering standards and practice notes for managing work in the road corridor.

Practice notes

Temporary Traffic Management Industry Steering Group (TTM-ISG)
Resource library: Good practice
Civil Contractors New Zealand (CCNZ)
Industry good practice: Working from mobile vehicles
Practice note: Protecting vulnerable road users in TTM environments
Survey and Spatial New Zealand (S+SNZ)
National traffic management practice note (latest updates)
New Zealand Events Association (NZEA)
Temporary traffic management for events

Read our latest NZGTTM transition update

Submitting a CAR

As the PCBU, you need submit a CAR and wait for Council approval before carrying out any work or activities in the road corridor.

You can expect an initial review of your CAR application within the timeframes below.

Roadworks (excluding excavations)
5 working days
Excavations
15 working days
Road closure for a motorsport event
92 days
Road closure for an event (excluding motorsport event)
42 days
Road closure for roadworks
28 days

Fees

See applicable fees under 'Roading' in the Fees and Charges guide.

Fees and Charges 2025-2027

pdf,  2614 KB Download

Before you apply

Contact Council to discuss the details of your work or activity. Some activities are considered low risk and do not need a TMP. Council will advise whether a TMP is needed.

Freephone 0800 492 452

info@waidc.govt.nz

Tip: Put ‘corridor access request’ in the subject line of your email.

If Council advises that a temporary road closure application is required, submit your application as soon as possible. You can lodge it before submitting your TMP.

Applying for a temporary road closure

Download and complete the PCBU road corridor risk assessment guide.

This guide will help you identify risks and controls that are relevant to Council in relation to impacts on the following:

Vulnerable road users
To reduce the risk of injury, serious harm or death occurring
Access
To ensure access is maintained or an alternative option is available for residents, business, community, emergency and essential services
Traffic
To plan and manage detours or delays
Other facilities and services
To consider impacts on other facilities and services such as KiwiRail, bus stops and routes, traffic lights, parking spaces, schools, rubbish collection, community buildings and spaces, public gatherings, events, and emergency services

To design your TMP, use the national guide:

NZTA: New Zealand guide to temporary traffic management (NZGTTM)

Be aware: From 1 July 2026, your TMP must align with the NZGTTM to be accepted by Council.

How to submit a CAR

Submit a corridor access request through Submitica.

Submitica: Sign in or create a login

Note: If you are doing excavation works, a CAR is automatically generated and submitted through the beforeUdig website.

Remember to include:

  • your traffic management plan (TMP)
  • your temporary traffic management diagrams (TMDs)
  • your completed PCBU road corridor risk assessment guide
  • your site-specific risk assessments
  • a map or sketch of the works to show its location in the road corridor, such as Google map images
  • the dimensions and design of any excavations on your map or sketch
  • evidence of approvals required by utility operators (for example, approval for close approach to powerlines)
  • traffic counts and route positions (RPs) obtained from Mobile Roads
  • any consents or approved vehicle entranceway applications
  • any supplementary information or information requested by the corridor team to support your application

Note: All documents need to be in PDF format. Individual documents must not exceed 15MB.

What happens next

If Council approves your request, you will be issued a works access permit (WAP). A WAP shows that Council has authorised your work or activity on the road corridor. With your WAP, you will receive a set of conditions. You must agree to these conditions and follow them when working in the road corridor.

Council may visit and carry out worksite assurance checks.

Keep physical copies of the following documents on site at all times:

  • works access permit (WAP) and conditions documents
  • your accepted traffic management plan (TMP)
  • any associated risk assessment documents
  • onsite records (assurance)

Council acknowledges that worksites are dynamic and may require responsive changes. Clearly document any adjustments made to your TMP and keep these records on site.

CARS submitted before 1 July 2026

All existing CAR applications submitted before 1 July 2026 using the Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management (CoPTTM) remain valid until their expiry dates.

Related legislation

Who to contact for more help

Talk to our Corridor team. We can assist you with your CAR submission.

info@waidc.govt.nz

Tip: Put ‘corridor access request’ in the subject line of your email.

Last updated 30 June 2026, 08:45 pm

Download the Antenno app

Use the Antenno app to tell us about things that need our attention, like potholes, graffiti, or broken streetlights.

More about Antenno

Get it on Google Play Download on the App Store
Top