We're investigating ways to improve road safety and reduce crashes on State Highway 6 between Blenheim and Nelson.
Visit the web page linked below for further information on the Nelson and Tasman road recovery or the State Highway 6 road closure (which is starting on 1 November until 18 December 2022).
We’ve reviewed speed limits on SH6 between Blenheim and Nelson to ensure they are safe and appropriate for the road.
We completed formal consultation on proposed speed limit changes
New speed limits took effect from 18 December 2019.
To find out more information, go to www.nzta.govt.nz/blenheim-nelson-speed-review
State Highway 6 between Blenheim and Nelson is a high-risk rural highway. Between 2008 and 2017 19 people died and 90 were seriously injured in crashes on this stretch of road.
Many of these crashes involved loss of control, with drivers running off the road and hitting roadside objects such as trees and power poles. There have also been head-on crashes on this highway, and some at intersections.
The NZ Transport Agency has been looking at ways to make this road safer. To make sure we get things right we sought feedback from the community and stakeholders. We held a series of community events to share our ideas and find out more from people who use the road. We also invited feedback online and by mail.
We asked people what makes this road feel unsafe and what worries them the most.
The valuable feedback we received helped us shape a draft option to help stop people dying or being seriously injured on this road. It includes:
Our proposed design is not final. Over the next few months we will be taking it out into the community and to key stakeholders to make sure we have got it right. We’ll consider the feedback we get before we confirm our design and begin working through our internal processes to apply for construction funding. If funding is approved, we will update the community with construction timings and staging.