State Highway 6 on the West Coast could reopen in the coming days after crews worked hard over the weekend to remove loose rocks at the Epitaph Slip, NZTA says.
The road between Haast and Lake Moeraki closed a little over a week ago when record-breaking rain pummelled the region, leading to the declaration of a state of emergency.
Slips, rockfall and cracking, which NZTA said showed movement under the highway, have kept the section closed since then.
Further wet weather late last week made conditions on site “treacherous” but good weather over the weekend has helped crews, said Central South Island system manager Mark Pinner.
“The crew was able to use the helicopter to sluice the highest parts of the rock face on Saturday and has completed most of the safety-critical rock removal over the past two days.”
On Monday, crews will use the rock that has fallen to build a bund that will reduce the risk of any further rockfall from making it onto the road.
“Once we get this highway reopened in coming days, scaling and clean-up crews will continue to work at this site for some weeks so it will be a slower journey through this point for some time.”
Pinner said NZTA understands the importance of the route to the region and that work to safely reopen the road is being completed “as quickly as possible”.
“We know this is frustrating for hospitality and tourism operators on the West Coast and in Otago who rely upon the Haast/SH6 loop for much of their summer business.
“We are doing our best to return this road to everyone in a safe condition, ready for the months ahead.”
An update would be made on Wednesday which would include a timeline for the reopening of the road.
