SH94 Homer Tunnel Safety and resilience business case

About the project

Project background

• Facts and challenges
  • Fiordland National Park is managed by the Department of Conservation and was established early in the 1950s, coinciding with the Homer Tunnel opening. The National Park is a World Heritage Site. 
  • SH94 is the highest altitude highway (940m above sea level) in New Zealand. The tunnel is at the highest point in the road and is narrow and steep, and its approaches are in a remote and challenging environment bordered by tall rockfaces. 
  • The cold and wet climate heightens the risk of rockfalls and avalanches in the area, especially in winter from (June to November). The Milford Road Alliance and their specialist avalanche control team manage this risk on the highway with controlled avalanches and road closures when the risk is greatest.
  • In peak summer season 6,000 people a day visit Milford Sound Piopiotahi via SH94 Homer Tunnel (the equivalent to around 130 busloads of people). In 2019 around 1,000 vehicles a day were driven to Milford Sound Piopiotahi during the peak summer season.
  • Tourism is expected to grow to 1.6 million visitors per year at some point between 2050 and 2060. It had been attracting around 870,000 visitors a year before the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • Milford Sound Piopiotahi is critical to the local economy. According to the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) domestic and international visitors spent about $250M in Fiordland in 2019 (Te Anau, Manapouri, Milford Sound Piopiotahi). Over three quarters of this spend was spent on those visiting Milford Sound Piopiotahi.
  • Traffic lights at the Homer Tunnel manage day-time summer traffic flows to one-way travel. At other times the tunnel is two-way. Traffic management during peak traffic flows is important as it reduces the risk to road users in the event of a fire. 
  • Traffic congestion is an issue in summer, and it peaks in the middle of the day. 
  • During the peak summer period, there are many buses climbing up the road the tunnel with an increased risk of vehicles overheating, and potentially catching fire in the tunnel.

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• Considering ideas for developing the Homer Tunnel business case

  We have been reviewing risk assessments and gathering ideas to reduce the risks to road users from natural hazards including:

  • fire
  • rockfall
  • avalanche.

  For some of the hazards, the risk is affected by the numbers of people present and the types of vehicles they are travelling in. We’re looking at how travel patterns could change and what this means for the level of risk.

  Work is underway to narrow down the list of ideas so that only the most viable are considered. We'll be assessing their effectiveness, the ease of implementing it, and the cost associated with achieving the desired risk reduction.

  Ideas that appear to have value will be explored more closely. We’ll work to identify when each option could be required and how well they work in combination with each other.

  To make the operation of the Homer Tunnel safer and more efficient for everyone, work on replacing the long serving existing avalanche and rockfall shelter was completed in May 2024.

  Homer Tunnel safety improvements

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• Next steps
  • The Homer Tunnel SSBC is due to be completed by December 2024.
  • Seek NZTA board approval.
  • Seek funding for detailed design and consenting as part of the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP).

  The three-year NLTP programme sets out how , plans to invest the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) to create an efficient, safer, better connected and more resilient land transport system that keeps New Zealand moving.

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