Frequently asked questions

Predicted future traffic volumes on SH8, 79 and 80 do not warrant the installation of passing lanes or fit passing lane guidelines or funding criteria.

The purpose of this project is to provide more safe stopping areas along Mackenzie Basin highways so visitor drivers, who often travel in campervans and slower vehicles, can pull over safely to admire the region's fantastic alpine and lake views.

The most appropriate response for assisting visitor drivers and creating a safer driving environment is to create more opportunities for slower vehicles to pull-over and let others pass. New facilities at Mount Burgess and Burkes Pass for example will provide safe spaces to pull over where gradients cause some vehicles to travel more slowly.

The project aims to optimise the visitor experience and improve safety on the highway for all road users.

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The Mackenzie Basin pull-over areas project will help to accommodate visitor drivers on State Highways 8,79 & 80 by creating safe places to pull over, safer access points and facilities for sharing the road with local drivers, freight and cyclists. Self-driving tourism is a growing industry, including more Kiwis due to overseas travel restrictions. Creating safe areas to pull over and appreciate the Mackenzie Basin’s world-renowned expansive alpine and lake vistas will improve the visitor driver experience and benefit the local economy. The project is expected to employ around 15 local people during construction.

Waka Kotahi maintains state highway data and monitors reported incidents in the area. We keep in contact with stakeholders, including regional and district councils, emergency services and industry et al. We also listen to feedback from the community. Based on this information and traffic investigations and analysis, we developed a proposed list of works and activity and checked with Mackenzie District Council, to ensure our information and priorities aligned.

(See the question and answer below for more information on consultation.)

Following traffic investigations and analysis, Waka Kotahi had a good idea of the locations needing improvement. We consulted with the Department of Conservation and the Mackenzie District Council, to make sure we had agreement on priority locations and to ensure we hadn’t missed anything. Iwi have also been approached for input into the programme.

Many of the proposed works do not require consultation – they are classed as minor and take place within highway reserve land.

Where consent is required, we are working with rūnanga and Environment Canterbury.

Our engagement with the Mackenzie community will be keeping people informed of progress, including on the project web page, the Mackenzie District Council website and in local newsletters.

For inquiries or more information on the project, please email our project team and we will respond to your inquiry as quickly as we can.

Email: mackenzie@nzta.govt.nz

This project is funded by the Government’s NZ Upgrade Programme which is ring fenced at $5m. The works are also being grouped and packaged for the purposes of efficiency and economy and are at various stages of investigation, design and tendering. As pricing for the higher priority works are confirmed, this could impact the likelihood of works at the lower end of the scale getting the go-ahead. Therefore, the full list of works is subject to change until approximately February 2021, when we expect final confirmation of pricing.

The scope of this project is large and complex comprising around 30 sites and locations. Some works can be undertaken relatively simply, for example installing 'Traffic behind you? Let it pass' signs and others have required more complex planning, design and consenting, for example the work being undertaken to extend the carpark at Lake Pukaki.

Some of the larger works, (identified as having the greatest potential for safety and access improvements) are required to be tendered to ensure economy of cost, scale and for efficiency.

These include:

Tender 1: Pukaki Package: Pukaki rest area and salmon farm right turn bays, Lake Ruataniwha access improvements and Haymans Road carpark extension

Tender 2: Tekapo Package: Godley Peaks Road right turn bay and Braemar Road intersection improvements

Tender 3: Burkes Package: Mt Burgess and Burkes Pass seal widening pull-off areas

Tender 4: Mt Michael Package: Mt Michael Road curve realignment and right turn bay.

Smaller scale improvements are being undertaken by our maintenance team, in addition to their current programme.

The priority for this project is increasing safety and access and providing safe areas to pull over and enjoy the amazing views. Where opportunities for storytelling are identified at a location, provision will be made for this to happen at a later date. (Refer to Te Manahuna Ki Uta/Destination Mackenzie Group is a multi-partner strategic planning process led by Mackenzie District Council.

Mackenzie District Council website(external link)

Yes. Each work site is required to have a traffic management plan to assist motorists safely around the work area. Please follow the signs, drive to the recommended speed limits and drive to the road conditions. If delays or detours are anticipated, these will be advised accordingly.

For traffic updates, please visit:

• nzta.govt.nz/traffic (external link)
• South Island Facebook(external link)
• NZTA Canterbury/West Coast Twitter(external link)

Our primary concern is safety. The priority for this project is increasing safety and access and improving the visitor experience by providing safe areas to pull over and. Our observations and feedback from the community is that visitor drivers stopping on the highway to photograph lupins as well as the Mackenzie Basin’s world-renowned expansive alpine and lake vistas, is a safety hazard. Providing safe stopping areas for vehicles to pull over will help minimise this risk.