Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency warns all drivers on alpine and semi-alpine passes in the South Island to beware of ice overnight, tomorrow morning and this week after a particularly icy weekend.
UPDATE (7 June 2020): Takaka Hill road, SH60, the road link between Tasman Bay and Golden Bay, will be closed to traffic between 9pm and 5am Monday and Tuesday next week, 8 and 9 June, says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
To reduce the risk of new rockfall, maintenance work will be completed between the Raramai Tunnels and Peketa, south of Kaikōura, over the next couple of weeks.
The temperature drop in Southland over the last few weeks is a good reminder to get winter-ready for driving conditions, says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency last week advised it had updated its winter highway management around the South Island. This included a change to the management of SH73 Porter’s and Arthur’s Passes for this winter. The two passes form a key route linking Canterbury and the West Coast and the communities along the way.
With the Queen’s Birthday public holiday long weekend ahead, drivers need to stay safe and plan ahead, particularly if they are driving long distances in freezing, windy or wet conditions.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advises all people who travel between the West Coast and Canterbury via SH73, (the Arthur’s Pass route), to be prepared for delays this Thursday 28 and Friday 29 May.
People who use the Milford Road, State Highway 94, should plan for possible delays at the single lane Homer Tunnel after Queen’s Birthday weekend, says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
People who drive between the West Coast and Canterbury, via Arthur’s Pass, SH73, should be aware of delays of up to ten minutes at a time, at the Porter River single lane bridge. There will also be six nights with longer closures in June.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advises drivers to expect short delays on QEII Drive/ State Highway 74, between Innes Road and Burwood Road, over the next week due to road works and road marking.
Work priorities and traffic management have been rearranged on Christchurch’s Southern Motorway Stage 2 project, as around 250 construction crew resume their jobs under Covid-19 Level Three health and safety protocols.
Although COVID-19 has affected how Waka Kotahi does things – across the delivery team, project management, design, property, planning etc, with people continuing to work in small bubbles to meet the new level 3 guidelines, it has not noticeably affected the progress of this bridge project in Otago.
Heavy rain overnight has closed SH6 east of Westport this morning, between Inangahua and Westport, with slips at each end of the Lower Buller Gorge, at Uranium Point and at Inangahua.