Convoys of buses for visitors/tourists and essential services vehicles** into and out of Milford Sound Piopiotahi have worked reasonably well this week.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Aspiring Highways team is now almost three weeks into the strengthening and maintenance programme on the Makarora River Bridge, SH6. This work runs through to the end of April.
Convoys of buses for visitors/tourists and essential services vehicles** into and out of Milford Sound Piopiotahi are continuing this week, with a small change in frequency and timing from Thursday.
The first convoys including visitor buses into Milford Sound Piopiotahi since the torrential rain of just over a fortnight ago have gone smoothly today in misty conditions, says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Milford Road Alliance Manager Kevin Thompson.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency looks forward to reconnecting Milford Sound Piopiotahi for tourist bus travellers alongside essential service vehicles from this Friday.
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.