Homer Tunnel safety improvements

To make the operation of the Homer Tunnel safer and more efficient for everyone, we have replaced the long-serving old avalanche and rockfall shelter at the eastern tunnel entrance.

The work was completed in mid-2024 and involved removing the existing shelter that dates back several decades and building a modern replacement. The concrete modules for the new shelter were made off site and transported to the tunnel for assembly.

Funding for this is part of a $29 million government package announced in 2020 to improve the safety and resilience on the eastern side of the Homer Tunnel on SH94 between Te Anau and Piopiotahi Milford Sound. New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and government crown infrastructure partners have delivered this work.

View progress photos of the Homer Tunnel avalanche shelter demolition

Major in-tunnel safety upgrade work was completed and ready for the 2023/2024 summer visitor season. Upgrades included:

• Fitting ‘Fire life’ safety systems such as radar and incident detection cameras.
• Installing purpose-built speakers and lighting. This allows tunnel operations staff to give directions to people inside the tunnel in an emergency.
• Upgraded power supply.
• Securely protecting in-tunnel telecommunications cabling along the tunnel walls.
• An additional traffic lane up to the eastern tunnel entrance to enhance safety and vehicle capacity.
• In-tunnel safety barriers.
• Improvements to the Consolation Peak repeater/microwave site. This provides faster fibre optic speeds to enable better management of tunnel systems from the Milford Road Alliance base in Te Anau.
• In-road sensors to detect vehicle stoppages inside the tunnel.

View photos of the in-tunnel safety improvement work

Finished in August 2023, the project saw an ageing tunnel equipment room replaced with a modern, safer, and more secure facility.

This modern equipment room alongside the eastern entrance to the Homer Tunnel entrance, houses essential equipment to safely operate the tunnel. 

The building is made from prefabricated concrete units produced off site. These were then transported and assembled on site, then buried to minimise the building’s visual impact in a sensitive alpine environment.  Situated in an area protected from rockfalls and avalanches creates a modern and secure place for equipment critical to the safe operation of the tunnel.

View photos of the new Homer Tunnel plant and equipment room