Arthur’s Pass and Haast Pass both remained closed tonight after continual heavy rain and rockfall in the two areas during the last two days.
State Highway 6, from Haast township to Makarora, opened at 10.30am but closed again at 2.30pm after forecast heavy rain brought more rock and material down onto the highway, says the NZ Transport Agency’s Senior Network Manager Mark Pinner.
“At Arthur’s Pass, our contractor has been on-site since 8am and has moved about 8000 tonnes of rock and material from the slip, about 1km west of the Otira township, which closed State Highway 73 at midday yesterday.
“This is a massive slip. It is now estimated that up to 30,000 tonnes of rock has fallen onto the road at this site, with the slip being up to six metres high and material continuing to fall on the road as the slip is cleared.”
He says it is now looking probable that SH73, from Arthur’s Pass to Jacksons, will not re-open until Tuesday (May 27).
“We are looking at options to try and establish single-lane access through the slip area but a lot will depend on the heavy rain easing and how quickly we can clear the slip to make it safe to get single-lane access through the area.”
Mr Pinner says at both sites the safety of the contractors and road users is the Transport Agency’s top priority. “This heavy rain and movement of the slip is making it difficult to get the highways re-opened.”
The next update on Haast Pass will be 10am tomorrow (Sunday) and 4pm tomorrow for Arthur’s Pass.
For the latest updates on the state highway conditions and hazards call freephone 0800 4 HIGHWAYS or visit the website www.highwayinfo.govt.nz(external link)
For more information please contact:
Jan McCarthy
Media Manager - Christchurch
NZ Transport Agency
T: 03 964 2885
M: 021 427 442
E: jan.mccarthy@nzta.govt.nz
