The threat of severe black ice has prompted the Transport Agency to close State highway 6 (SH6) from Five Rivers to Kingston from 8.30pm tonight, Friday 8 August.
The situation will be reviewed again at 7.30am tomorrow, 9 August 2014, or earlier if conditions change. Barriers at each end of the road will be manned throughout the closure.
Up to 30 centimetres of snow has fallen today in the area between Kingston and Five Rivers. The weather forecast is for plummeting overnight temperatures with a high risk of the road turning into a sheet of black ice.
Transport Agency contractors have battled all day in harsh weather to keep this stretch of highway open. With overnight black ice raising the safety risk to drivers to an even higher level, driving conditions would be to treacherous to leave the road open overnight.
For the latest on highway conditions free phone 0800 44 44 49 or go to www.highwayinfo.govt.nz(external link)
For more information please contact:
Peter Robinson
Senior Network Manager Southland
T: 03 955 2934
M: 021 954 928
peter.robinson@nzta.govt.nz
