With the annual grape harvest underway in Marlborough, road users are being warned to watch for heavy machinery on the region’s state highways.
The Marlborough grape harvest will run until mid-April, with peak activity expected in March. Harvest time sees more heavy agricultural equipment - harvesters and grape trucks - on the roads, as vineyards bring their grapes in for pressing and processing.
This will affect the wider Marlborough region - from Koromiko in the north to Ward in the south and along the Wairau Valley to the west. Road users can expect activity on all state highways – SH1, SH6, SH62, and SH63.
Drivers must be aware of harvest season activities, particularly around vineyards, and take extra care on the roads.
Extra caution will be needed when overtaking. Drivers must check their passing distances, look out for oncoming traffic, and for trucks and harvesters entering and leaving vineyard areas.
NZ Transport Agency/Waka Kotahi summer maintenance programme also means there are a number of work sites throughout the region as well as the construction of the new roundabout on State Highway 6 at the intersection of Bells and St Leonards roads. Drivers should factor these works into their travel plans.
