A rock the size of two basketballs which fell from a height south of Kaikōura’s Parititahi road tunnels landed on and damaged a southbound car late this afternoon. The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was not seriously injured and did not seek medical treatment.
With delays caused largely by rain and rising river levels, South Westland’s Waiho Bailey bridge will not be reopened until this weekend, says the NZ Transport Agency.
The NZ Transport Agency says South Westland’s Waiho River Bailey bridge should be ready to open this Friday, 12 April. The exact time cannot be confirmed until later this week.
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and construction company Downer are working together to help rebuild South Westland’s Waiho River Bailey bridge, washed away by rock-filled floodwaters last week, says NZ Transport Agency System Manager, Pete Connors.
The NZ Transport Agency has revised its timeframe to reconnect State Highway 6 in South Westland at the Waiho River, says Transport Agency System Manager Pete Connors.
The railway crossing on Christchurch’s Kirk Road, Templeton, near State Highway 1 will be temporarily closed, with detours in place, on the weekend of 6-8 April for safety improvements.
The NZ Transport Agency says there is no evidence to support suggestions that a lack of maintenance or earlier work upstream were responsible for the failure of South Westland’s Waiho Bridge on Tuesday this week.
A full overnight road closure on SH6 at the Victoria Bridge between Cromwell and Queenstown will be in place from 10pm next Tuesday 2 April, until 5am Wednesday 3 April.
Updated at 5pm: State Highway 73 on the Otira Gorge is now open again, with rivers and creek levels dropping rapidly across the West Coast and the sun coming out.
A number of highways on the West Coast remain closed today after torrential rain and rock-filled rivers took out the Waiho River Bridge Tuesday afternoon on State Highway 6 near Franz Josef.
South Westland’s Waiho River bailey bridge has been washed away this afternoon after several hours of torrential flood waters carrying large amounts of rock and material downstream battered its support piers.
The NZ Transport Agency is extending the length of South Westland’s State Highway 6 closure due to concerns about rising rivers and heavy rain still to come later this afternoon.
The NZ Transport Agency is keeping State Highway 6 between Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers closed today after closing it earlier this morning after two slips covered the highway, triggered by torrential rain.