The highway south of Kekerengu River Bridge was closed last night and this morning due to flooding.
State Highway 1 Kekerengu to Clarence closed
The highway south of Kekerengu River Bridge was closed last night and this morning due to flooding. It will be reassessed at 9 am. There is no access to Clarence by road currently. The highway between Picton and Kekerengu is reduced to one lane in several places and 30km/hour speed limit.
There is significant flooding at Tirohanga and the road is closed due to flood debris at Staces culvert (near Parikawa) with debris covering the road. There are also slips south of the Clarence gates. Drivers need to take extreme care.
Waiau/ Mt Lyford road (Route 70) remains closed
The Transport Agency closed the inland road (Route 70) to Kaikoura via Waiau and Mt Lyford overnight and will reassess its safety at 9 am today. Heavy rain has pushed flood levels at the temporary culverts at the Whale’s Back area to the maximum capacity and rain has fallen all night. Rocks have come down in some places overnight.
The Mason River which normally runs at 1 cubic metre per second is up to 125 cumecs earlier today at The Lottery recorder.
State Highway 1 south of Kaikoura remains closed
State Highway 1 south of Kaikoura is likely to remain closed today (Thursday) after high volumes of rain caused mudslides over the past two days to block the highway, pushing rock-filled containers over the edge of the road. (See photo below and check NZ Transport Agency South Island Facebook pages for more photos(external link))
Crews are focused on clearing the route, however the ongoing rain means clean ups are ongoing and extensive.
Please check these pages(external link) on the Transport Agency’s Traffic and Travel pages for updates on the closure and status of the highway.
Inland dams
Kaikoura District Council and Environment Canterbury are monitoring the inland dams (notably Linton and Hapuku) which were formed after the earthquake and are in touch with residents and managing evacuations.
Ways to find out what is happening on the highway network:
Call 0800 4 HIGHWAYS 0800 44 44 49
