The route between Blenheim and Nelson remains closed today. Contractors are working to clear slips and tree falls on Whangamoa Hill. Atrocious weather conditions meant it was unsafe to do this work overnight.
The route between Blenheim and Nelson remains closed today. Contractors are working to clear slips and tree falls on Whangamoa Hill. Atrocious weather conditions meant it was unsafe to do this work overnight.
Andrew James, System Manager Top of South, says an update on the road’s status will be provided by 5 pm today.
“While we want to reopen the road today, the weather conditions are challenging, and a substantial amount of fallen trees and debris must be removed. This will take time for contractors to clear”.
The closure means there is no direct route between Nelson and Blenheim. Road users should delay non-essential travel or use the only alternative route.
For people travelling from Blenheim, it is State Highway 63, Wairau Valley to Kawatiri Junction and State Highway 6 to Nelson. For people travelling from Nelson to Blenheim, it is the reverse.
State Highway 6 at Dellows Bluff near Murchison will remain single lane as repair and reconstruction work at the site continues.
The section of State Highway near Murchison was affected by a major rockfall last month, and work to repair an adjacent underslip is ongoing.
Mr James says the rockfall site won’t be reopened to two lanes at this time.
“This is because the underslip site, which is just 150 metres away, will remain as a single lane until the end of the year while that section of road is being repaired, so extending this through the rockfall site makes sense.”
The protective container wall will remain single story, and the single lane will have a limited width. Transport and freight companies with wide or oversized loads will need to contact Waka Kotahi before they travel to make sure they can take their trucks through the site.
Mr James says strengthening of the single road lane pavement begins this week, and substantive work on stabilising the rock face is expected to start in early spring once materials arrive.
“At this stage, we aim to have both sites fully reinstated and two lanes restored by Christmas, weather permitting”.
Mr James says road users should factor this work into their travel plans and be prepared for delays at the site.
Fallen trees on the Whangamoa Hill this morning (9 August).
State Highway 6 Dellows Bluff rockfall site
