Two lanes of traffic have been restored for the next few days at a section of State Highway 1 south of Kaikōura where months of repair work has been underway to address major flood damage.

SH1 between Cheviot and Kaikōura reopened on 15 July after several days of closure following a heavy rain event and floodwaters from the Conway River eating away large chunks of the highway near Hawkswood.

The last few months, traffic management has been in place for the section of more than 1km where the Conway River runs close to SH1, with a single lane operating and road users having to stop on demand, meaning short delays.

From 2pm today, through to 7am on Tuesday 3 November 2026, two lanes of SH1 are due to be temporarily open, allowing two-way traffic through the site under a 30km/h speed limit (subject to conditions such as weather). This temporary change is to accommodate travel related to the Marlborough Anniversary holiday weekend.  

While work on the restoration of SH1 is nearing completion, there is still more work to do. Therefore, from 7am on 3 November, traffic management will return to the previous conditions where road users are required to stop on demand.

SH1 Conway River washout restoration updates (external link)