Category: Transport

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) has reiterated that SH6 between Haast and Lake Moeraki in South Westland remains fully closed – next update Sunday 17 November, 5pm

Heavy rain overnight Friday and the weekend resulted in a significant number of slips in the Knights Point and Moeraki areas.  The most significant issue is at the Epitaph Rift* and Epitaph Underslip sites where rockfall and road movement has occurred, says NZTA.

Epitaph Rift rockfall – above the road

A large rockfall, releasing several thousand cubic metres of material came down overnight Friday.  Access to the site was hampered due to other slips closing the road north and south of the site, and heavy rain and cloud reduced helicopter access.

“The initial inspection on Sunday identified concerns with unstable material above the road, the source of the rockfall material.  This rock needs to be removed or stabilised to provide a safe worksite and road access.  Immediate arrangements were made to have a rock scaling team establish on site first thing Monday morning,” says Mark Pinner, System Manager for NZTA in the Central Region of the South Island.

“After the initial assessment, a further rockfall occurred overnight on Sunday, creating a new scarp/steep bank.  The roped access inspection Monday also identified that the rockfalls have destabilised the Rift feature in between, which means there’s significantly more scaling work that needs to be tackled before teams can come in to begin clearing rockfall from the rockfall catchpit. (See photos).

“A scaling crew, with a helipad established, is now working on removing loose and unstable rocks from these two new rockfalls, as well as the remaining unstable feature between, estimated to weigh five tonnes,” says Mr Pinner.

Any large rocks threatening to drop or roll onto the highway need to be prised loose or popped out using air bags or explosives. As of the end of Tuesday between 60 and 70 cubic metres of rock had been removed from the southern end of the site and vegetation concealing loose rock removed off the main bluff.  There is still a lot of work to do to make this bluff safe before the road reopens, says Mr Pinner.

Epitaph Underslip – under the road

The heavy rain also caused movement at road level at the Epitaph Underslip.

“While people may have seen photos of cracks in the road, the good news is that there hasn’t been any movement since recording started late on Saturday,” says Mr Pinner.

“We are continuing to monitor this part of the slope, with more active monitoring going in in the coming days.  This will help us manage the site while work continues on a business case for more significant stabilisation work through the Epitaph area.”

What is the work plan?

NZTA needs to make the slope safe before crews can remove any of the accumulated material in the catchpit below and spilling out to the south.  Some of this material will be used to create rock bunds to protect road users, the rest will be trucked away in coming weeks after the route reopens.

The team will continue scaling and preparing for blasting on Wednesday and through into Thursday morning.  As much rock scaling/removal work as possible will be completed on Wednesday with checks made on any areas of overhanging trees to ensure no rock is dammed behind them.

Co-ordinating with the scaling team, drainage work at road level will also get underway this week. Cracks in the asphalt above the underslip area at the southern end will be filled, stormwater piped away from the site and a swale made more impermeable.

What the coming wet weather means?

Heavy rain is forecast on Thursday and Friday with potentially 60-70mm over those two days.  The ground is still saturated with elevated volumes of water flowing from the slip drainage, and the further rainfall will likely increase this further.  “We need to take this time to understand how the site might react to the rainfall since the weekend movement,” says Mr Pinner.  “There will be teams onsite monitoring, but it won’t be safe to work on the slope in these conditions.  As soon as the site is safe after the weather clears, work will be underway again to make the slope safe.

“Confirming the programme ahead depends on how rock scaling goes through Wednesday and Thursday and how the rain affects the site. Once the bluffs are made safe enough for crews to work under them, we’ll be able to provide a better indication of when the road may re-open. Whether to not that will be Sunday or early the week after will depend on whether the large and unstable rock mass adjoining this section of highway can be safely removed. A further update will be provided as soon as this is understood.

“We do understand how important this route is for West Coasters and that it is a key route into and out of Otago for visitors but we also need to protect people from the possibility of another rockfall.

“At this stage most of the risk appears to be from above the road – the rift/split in the rocks – rather than the 2012 Epitaph Underslip but we will need to monitor the road in coming weeks and months to be certain there is no more movement.”

NZTA encourages all people planning on getting to the West Coast’s SH6 and South Westland to access it from either end – Makarora to Haast and Hokitika south as far as Lake Moeraki, while this work is underway.

Can I get to Fox Glacier and Franz Josef? What about Haast?

The route into the glacier towns and further south as far as Paringa is fully open from the north/Hokitika on SH6.

Drivers can access Haast from the southern Otago/Makarora side of SH6.

People cannot drive between the two at this stage.

Lake Moeraki to Paringa open daytimes only

The section of highway north of Lake Moeraki to Paringa is open daytimes this week, between 9 am and 6 pm, but drivers are restricted to journeys on the hour with up to 60-minute delays. The next update for this section is Sunday, 17 November.

Ongoing slip clearance at five slips along Lake Moeraki is the reason for these daytime restrictions this week.

Outside of these hours, overnight, ie before 9 am and after 6 pm, this section of road will remain closed until slip hazards are fully cleared.

*A rift is a major fault/split separating blocks of rock/ land.

Comparing this site two years ago and now

Below left: 3D model of the Epitaph site taken from the NZTA survey on Sunday 10 November, 2024 – courtesy WSP. The rockfall on the left, to the north of the site, is clearly visible with additional rockfall occurring Sunday night on the southern end.

Below right: is from 2022 when the last 3D model was done at the site for comparison, with the Epitaph Underslip, below road level present on both.

West Coast traffic and travel updates(external link) 

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

A concrete culvert is soon to be replaced at Gorge Creek, between Alexandra and Roxburgh on SH8. The work is estimated to take a fortnight from the end of November and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is doing it overnight to minimise disruptions for most drivers.

People who travel on this section of SH8 will need to build in extra time and be ready for short delays, says Nicole Felts, Journey Manager for NZTA in Otago.

“We are taking the opportunity to replace the culvert before completing the road rehabilitation. The current one-metre diameter culvert is an older concrete pipe that was on our list to be renewed so we are using this opportunity to combine both into one package of works,” says Miss Felts.

Night-times – up to an hour’s delay for a fortnight

Night work will start at 8 pm, Sunday 24 November and run through to 6am Friday 6 December. This will involve a full road closure at night, opening at the top of each hour to clear traffic.

During the day the site will be unattended with one lane closure and up to 10 minutes delay to clear traffic in each direction.

Fixing the highway itself – flanking Christmas/New Year

As well as the culvert replacement, NZTA also needs to reseal SH8 near the creek. Day work on the highway surface will start Monday, 9 December, from 7am to 7pm, weekdays, for up to ten weeks to early March.

Work will break before Christmas on 20 December and restart Tuesday 14 January.

Around 1.3 km of highway will be reconstructed north of Gorge Creek. The seal will remain intact in the lead-in to Christmas but full reconstruction will get underway from mid-January. There will be delays of up to ten minutes around this work with the highway operating as a single lane with traffic lights controlling movements.

“We know this work runs through the Christmas holidays so thanks to all drivers coming into Central Otago on SH8 being ready for short daytime delays and, if travelling at night in the lead-in to Christmas, aiming for the top of the hour to get through at Gorge Creek,” says Miss Felts.

All work is weather dependent, so dates are estimates at this stage.

There is no detour available.

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and Auckland Transport (AT) are urging people to plan ahead and check the latest information before travelling in the city tomorrow, with the North Island hīkoi (march) expected to result in significant disruptions and delays on the state highway network and on local roads, including through the Auckland CBD.

NZTA and AT are working with NZ Police to prepare for possible disruptions from the planned hīkoi, which is scheduled to arrive in Auckland on Tuesday evening.

NZ Police is leading the operational planning and response to the hīkoi, which has the potential to cause significant congestion, disruption and delays on key highways and arterial routes in the city tomorrow.

NZTA has agreed with Police that two lanes on the Auckland Harbour Bridge will be closed from early Wednesday morning in order to ensure the safety of hīkoi participants and road users. This will affect morning peak hour traffic in both directions. The lanes will be re-opened to traffic as soon as it is safe to so.

Closures will be in place at the Stafford Road offramp, Curran Street onramp, and the two outer northbound lanes of the bridge itself. The Shelly Beach Road southbound offramp will also be closed.

NZTA and AT will be closely monitoring the impact of the hīkoi on the city’s transport network through our Auckland Transport Operations Centre, and we will provide real-time updates for road users on any delays or disruptions.

Road users travelling to work or school are advised to allow extra time and plan their route using the NZ Transport Agency Journey Planner.

Journey Planner(external link)

Buses may experience delays or need to be detoured throughout the day. Auckland public transport users should allow extra time and plan ahead before travelling.

For the most up to date information including live tracking of buses, go to Live Departures on at.govt.nz or the AT Mobile app. To get notified of any major impact to your journey, subscribe to notifications for your bus route in the AT Mobile app.

AT live departures(external link)

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) welcomes the recent sentencing of a former vehicle inspector for dishonestly accessing the Motor Vehicle Register (MVR) and issuing fraudulent warrants of fitness (WoFs), noting the sentence should serve as a deterrent to others.

Former vehicle inspector Diosdado Junior Subayno Pugosa was sentenced to five months’ home detention in the North Shore District Court on 30 October 2024 for the offending.

Following a tip off, an investigation by NZTA found that from 20 August 2022 to 24 July 2023 Mr Pugosa recorded and issued 94 WoFs for vehicles he had not properly inspected.  

During sentencing, District Court Judge Fraser acknowledged the public safety concern and that it was clear that Mr Pugosa had not properly checked the vehicles before issuing WoFs. Judge Fraser said Mr Pugosa needed to be held accountable for the harm done to his employer and the WoF system on which the community depends.  

As soon as the fraud was identified, Mr Pugosa’s vehicle inspector appointment was suspended and then revoked (cancelled) by NZTA. WoFs issued by him were also revoked and affected vehicle owners were asked to get a new WoF to ensure their vehicles were safe to drive. 

“We take swift action and hold vehicle inspectors to account when vehicle safety is compromised. A WoF is a general safety check and the consequences of a vehicle not being thoroughly checked and passed as safe to be driven are high. An unsafe vehicle on the road puts the driver, passengers and other road users’ safety at risk,” says Nicole Botherway, NZTA Senior Manager Safer Vehicles. 

The NZTA Safer Vehicles team regularly reviews inspecting organisations and vehicle inspectors to check compliance. If serious non-compliance is found, the team ensures that the right regulatory response is applied, including enforcement action. 

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

A stretch of State Highway 3 Courtenay Street in New Plymouth will be closed to southbound traffic overnight later this month while crews work to rebuild the road.

The work, between Courtenay and Pendarves Streets, will start on the evening on Thursday 21 November and is expected to take 12 nights to complete.

Crews will operate between 7pm and 6am on Sunday–Friday each week. Work will not take place on Saturday nights.

During the work, SH3 between Pendarves and Courtenay Street will be closed to southbound traffic at night between 7pm and 6am. Northbound traffic will continue to have access.

The intersection of SH3 and SH45 Leach Street (southbound) will remain open to all traffic during works, but may be reduced to a single lane at times.

Access to side streets, such as SH3 Courtney Street and Lemon Street, will be impacted during works.

Alternative routes will be available – please follow the directions of onsite crews.

Access to all businesses and homes in the work area will be maintained throughout the works.

Outside working hours, all roads within the site will be open during the day, with a temporary lower speed in place.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is advising road users to plan their overnight journeys. Please be patient as crews undertake the work.

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Drivers heading through Tākaka are urged to be ready for road resurfacing work starting in the Golden Bay town next week.

Contractors will complete extensive resurfacing work on Commercial Street in Tākaka, with 10 nights of closures planned from 17 to 28 November.   

To keep drivers and contractors safe, the highway will be closed to all traffic between Meihana Street and Motupipi Street from 7 pm to 6:30 am. No work will be done on Friday, 22, or Saturday, 23 November.

The resurfacing is essential maintenance and will help ensure the road is kept safe and reliable for everyone.

Contractors will be doing their best to keep disruption to an absolute minimum. They will work overnight when there is less traffic, and the road will be open to traffic during the day. 

Once asphalting is complete, road markings will be reinstated under night works with stop/go controls and a 30 km/h speed limit.  

During the night closures, a detour will be in place via Meihana Street and Motupipi Street.  This detour is expected to add up to five minutes to travel times.  

Works schedule:

• Sunday, 17 November to Thursday, 28 November (excluding Friday 22 and Saturday 23 November), 7 pm – 6:30 am.
• The worksite is located on SH60, Commercial Street in the Tākaka township, between Meihana Street and Motupipi Street.
• During the work, the worksite will be closed to all traffic. Road users must detour via Meihana Street and Motupipi Street.
• During the closure access to Buxton Lane will be via Motupipi Street. There will be no access between SH60 and Buxton Lane.
• There will be times when direct access to Junction Street or Riley Street from SH60 will be impacted. To ensure continuous access to these streets during work hours, access from SH60 to one of these streets will remain open. Follow onsite signage.
• Outside of the closure time, State Highway 60 will reopen between 6:30am and 5:30pm but a reduced temporary speed limit of 30km/h will be in place.
• These works are weather-dependent and may be delayed.

View larger map [PNG, 177 KB]

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

A better road and safer travel are coming for drivers using State Highway 63 near the Wye River.

Road reconstruction work is planned for the highway between Wairau Valley and Birch Hill for three weeks in December.

Road crews will be on the job from Monday, 2 December, through to Friday, 20 December. 

Mark Owen, Regional Manager Wellington/Top of the South, says it is an integral part of the state highway summer maintenance programme.

“State Highway 63 is a critical transport link between Blenheim and the West Coast. It is also a key part of network resilience as it is the main alternative route to Nelson if State Highway 6 closes.”

“Keeping it in good repair is essential for residents, businesses, and the freight industry. This is why a long-term fix, like a road rebuild, is critical. It improves the route’s resilience, reduces future maintenance demands, and makes it safer,” Mr Owen says.

The work will be carried out during the day from Monday to Friday under stop/go traffic controls. Drivers will need to factor in around 10-minute delays through the area.

Mr Owen says temporary speed limits will be in place while the repairs are underway.

“Drivers must follow these speed limits. They keep drivers and road crews safe, protect the road surface, and prevent vehicle damage. Speeding through road works sites isn’t good for anyone.”

And Mr Owen says drivers must plan for the short delays the road works will cause.

“If you are driving between Renwick and St Arnaud, allow an extra 20 minutes for your journey. Just to make sure you get to your destination on time.”

He acknowledges there are a lot of road works in the region in the run-up to Christmas. But Mr Owen says the timing is carefully chosen.

“This work can only be done when the weather is warm and dry. Road rebuilds and resurfacing need these conditions to be durable and effective.”

“We are doing our absolute best to reduce their impact. This is why it is happening after Marlborough Anniversary weekend and will be completed before the busy Christmas holiday season. We want the road to be clear when traffic is at its busiest,” Mr Owen says.

Works schedule

• Monday, 2 December to Friday, 20 December 2024. Weekdays 7 am – 5 pm (no night-time or weekend work).
• Stop/go controls and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place during work hours. Expect delays of up to 10 minutes at this site but allow an extra 20 minutes travel time on SH63 between Renwick and St Arnaud due to other work sites.
• A 30 km/h reduced temporary speed limit will remain in place outside of work hours.
• Access for emergency services will be available at all times.

View larger map [PNG, 279 KB]

Summer maintenance season – tips and advice

• The work is part of the $147 million 2024/27 National Land Transport Programme investment in state highways across the top of the South Island.
• Drivers need to be aware other summer maintenance and resilience works are happening around the region.
• Due to the number of worksites on each corridor we recommend allowing an extra 45 minutes travel time on State Highway 6 between Nelson and West Coast and State Highway 6 between Nelson and Blenheim.We recommend allowing an extra 60-minutes travel time on State Highway 1 between Picton and Christchurch.
• Drivers should check road conditions before they travel as knowing when and where road works are happening means you can time your travel to avoid them or allow extra time for your trip.
• Whenever you come to a worksite, remember that our road workers are doing their best to complete their work and keep you moving. Please be respectful and follow their advice and instructions.
• National Land Transport Programme 2024/27. Top of the South Regional Investment Summary [PDF, 230 KB]
• State Highway maintenance – Frequently Asked Questions
• Tips for driving through worksites (video)(external link)

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Update 3:50pm: State Highway 6, Hira to Rai Valley, is now expected to remain closed into this evening.

Contractors are working hard to reopen the road, however there are trees at the top of the rockfall that must be removed before slip and rockfall debris can be cleared.

A further update will be provided at 8 pm or when the highway’s status changes.

Drivers are asked to avoid the area and continue using the detour via State Highway 63 and the Wairau Valley.

Updates on the highway’s status can be found on the NZTA/Waka Kotahi website:

Highway conditions – Nelson/Marlborough(external link)

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State Highway 6 is currently closed between Hira and the Rai Valley following a rock fall on the route earlier this afternoon.

The slip, reported shortly after midday, has blocked one lane on Whangamoa Hill, and more material above the road is at risk of falling.

For safety reasons, the highway is closed while contractors bring machinery to the site to clear the fallen rock and remove overhanging debris.

Drivers are asked to avoid the area and delay their travel.

The closure means there is no direct route between Nelson and Blenheim, and the only alternative route is via SH6 to Renwick, onto SH63 Wairau Valley/St Arnaud, right at the intersection of SH6/63 Kawatiri Junction onto SH6 and north to Nelson. The reverse applies to people travelling from Nelson to Marlborough.

This is a longer route and can add 30 minutes or more to travel times. Drivers must factor this into their travel plans – particularly those with Picton ferry connections.

View larger map [PNG, 923 KB]

Work is underway to reopen the highway, but the closure is expected to remain in place for the rest of the afternoon. The next update will be at 6 pm or when the highway’s status changes.

Updates on the highway can also be found on the NZTA/Waka Kotahi website:

Highway conditions – Nelson/Marlborough(external link)