State Highway 7, the Lewis Pass road, will reopen at 8pm tonight, having been closed all afternoon as a scrub fire spread in several places near the Hanmer Springs turnoff. The closure was between Springs Junction and just north of Culverden.
The route was reopened from the south to the Hanmer Springs turnoff earlier tonight.
The highway is part of the new, main alternate route between Picton and Christchurch since the 14 November earthquake seriously damaged SH1 through Kaikoura.
“Thanks for being patient if you were stuck in the queue,” says Transport Agency Journey Manager Lee Wright.
“Please expect this trip through the burnt area later to be fairly smoky still and to take it carefully, with windows wound up,” she says.
Fire crews will monitor the area all night and there may be delays tomorrow as spots are damped down.
Ways to find out what is happening on the highway network:
