Rock Shelter, SH73, Otira Gorge, reminder hours open week starting 9 September, four hour daytime closure Monday

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) will begin clearing the SH73 Rock Shelter roof from Monday, 9 September, involving a change in the hours the road will be open.

On Monday 9 September, the alpine highway will close fully for four hours between 10 am and 2 pm, for machinery to be installed to get the rocks cleared from the shelter roof. If Monday is wet, this closure envelope will switch to the next dry day.

• The Arthur’s Pass/ Otira Gorge highway between Canterbury and the West Coast is currently closed overnight 5.30 pm to 7.30 am, due to recent rockfall triggered by snow melt and heavy rain.
• It will remain closed overnight until it is safe for night travel to resume, says NZTA.
• No work is planned for Saturdays or Sundays, which will be open as usual daytimes, 7.30 am to 5.30 pm.

Hourly traffic movements from Tuesday onwards, weekdays to follow

From Tuesday 10 September, or once the remote-controlled excavator is lifted onto the shelter roof, work will get underway clearing rock.

This means that the road will be open daily between 7.30am and 5.30pm, with delays of up to an hour between 9am and 5pm, Tuesday to Friday that week. The road will be open on the hour between these times to clear traffic.

Closed overnight continues for next few weeks

The road will remain closed overnight between 5.30pm and 7.30am until enough work is completed to make the site safe.  An update will be provided on opening for overnight as soon as this is possible.

This work is weather dependent, so it may be postponed on days where the conditions are unsuitable to work.  In these cases, the road will be open during the day if it is safe to do so.

• Any changes to route availability will be updated on the Journey Planner at all times. 
• Electronic signs at each end of SH73 in places like Kumara Junction and Springfield will let people know the open hours that day.
• This work is expected to take up to six weeks to complete, subject to weather.   As the crew moves more material, NZTA will have more confidence on the likely duration.
• An update will be provided each Friday to confirm the closures for the following week.
• There may be other maintenance work on SH73 which may increase travel times.  Check Journey Planner to ensure you have enough time to reach the road block points either side.

NZTA Journey Planner - Highway conditions(external link)

NZTA understands that this work is disruptive and appreciates people’s understanding while we make this site safe and get the highway back to normal operations for the summer.

Alternative route between the West Coast and Canterbury – the Lewis Pass

People wanting to avoid delays should take the Lewis Pass route via Waipara and Reefton/SH7, which adds around an hour to the journey between Christchurch and the West Coast. 

NZTA Journey Planner - Christchurch highway conditions(external link)