The first convoy of essential services vehicles and material in and out of Milford Sound Piopiotahi, since torrential rain closed the highway two weeks ago, went well on Saturday.
Highway crews on the South Island’s West Coast and in Fiordland are ready for surface flooding from the early hours of Sunday morning through to Monday, says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Journey Manager Tresca Forrester.
The Blue Pools new carpark and toilet block, on State Highway 6 near Makarora, the Otago side of the Haast Pass, will be opened for use from this Thursday, 13 February.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency confirms that a four-wheel drive route into Milford Sound Piopiotahi is now available for emergency services. Additionally, essential services convoys* for Milford Sound Piopiotahi businesses are planned to start this weekend.
A number of maintenance and construction projects are scheduled to get underway on state highways in the Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago district council areas from this week, says Mark Stewart, Maintenance Contract Manager, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
Good progress building a four-wheel drive, single lane route into Milford Sound Piopiotahi has been made in the past few days of sunshine, says Graeme Hall, System Manager, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has re-started the sale-by-tender process for the temporary accommodation village used by crew working on the Kaikōura earthquake recovery.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency says people on Southland and Otago roads and across the South Island need to be ready for a slower than usual journey today and into the week. A number of events are bringing people in and out of the two southern regions at the same time, on top of last week’s floods.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency says its contractors are out in force carrying out damage assessments and repairs on state highways in the region following this week’s torrential rain and flooding.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency reopened SH6 from Queenstown’s Frankton to Kingston and Five Rivers in Southland after 3 pm this afternoon, after morning and yesterday evening convoys to allow traffic out of Te Anau and Queenstown.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency says that access to Invercargill via SH1 and Gore is now available as flood waters have receded in the central Southland area overnight.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has organised convoys of traffic out of Te Anau from the Five Rivers Junction (intersection of state highways 6 and 97) late this afternoon to 7 pm (hourly), through to Frankton near Queenstown, where the highways to the north are open.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has organised convoys of traffic out of Te Anau from the Five Rivers Junction (intersection of state highways 6 and 97) starting at 4 pm this afternoon, through to Frankton near Queenstown, where the highways to the north are open.
Despite generally sunnier weather in the south of the South Island, rising river levels in Southland and Otago continue to keep highways around Southland and Otago towns closed this morning and into the early afternoon.