The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) says motorists should expect delays from Monday 7 March 2011 to allow safety work on the Nevis Bluff above SH6 between Cromwell and Queenstown.
NZTA Area Manager John Jarvis says two areas of unstable rock have been assessed as posing a potential hazard to road users and need to be stabilised before they pose a greater hazard to road users.
One area is part of the massive 1975 rock fall that closed the road for three months. This section will be partially removed by drilling and blasting with the remainder stabilised using rock bolts to provide long term stability. The other area of rock will be removed using drilling and blasting”.
This work is part of NZTA’s continuing monitoring of the Nevis Bluff since the major rock fall in September 2000 which closed the road for two consecutive weeks.
Mr Jarvis says because of the extreme and unpredictable terrain where this work is being carried out and to ensure the safety of motorists, road closures can be expected from Monday to Friday until this job is completed, weather permitting, around the 15 April 2011.
There will be road openings on the hour every hour between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm Monday to Friday to enable motorists to time their travel with these. Between the hourly openings traffic will be cleared approximately every 20 minutes.
While the delays should be no more than 20 minutes, there will be up to 1 hour closures during the course of the work to allow for blasting operations. Only a handful of these are expected and information about them will be publicised separately as work progresses.
The NZTA will provide further media releases when work starts and as it progresses. Alternatively, to find out the latest traffic information, the public can go to NZTA’s Highway Info website at www.nzta.govt.nz/traffic(external link).
