19 September update

With bad weather forecast for next week, the resumption date for these works has changed.

The next phase of the project will now begin on Monday, 29 September, not Monday, 22 September as was previously scheduled.

18 September update

From next week, drivers can expect to see work crews back on site on State Highway 6 Whangamoa Saddle.

They will be beginning the final stage of ongoing resilience works on the route – designed to make the highway stronger, and better able to handle bad weather events.

Work is due to resume on Monday, 22 September. Crews will be on site from 7 am to 5 pm every weekday for approximately eight weeks.

Contractors will construct and install concrete beams to stabilise the road, which must be done when the weather conditions are warmer and drier.

Kerbing and drainage improvements will also be completed. This helps protect the road’s surface from water damage.

Five sites remain to be completed, and contractors will work on them sequentially. This means drivers will only have to encounter one stop/go traffic management site at any time. Delays of around 10 minutes can be expected 24/7 until this work is completed.

Drivers should allow for extra travel time while this work is underway. They should also obey all traffic management and temporary speed limits. They are there to keep drivers and workers safe. 

Efforts will be made to speed the work by extending work hours during planned night closures for the route in November for state highway maintenance. More details on these works will be provided once timing is confirmed.

Works Schedule and location map

• Monday, 22 September to Friday, 28 November. Weekdays, 7 am – 5 pm (weather permitting)
• Work hours will be extended during planned night-time maintenance closures on the route in November.
• Five work sites. Only one operating at a time.
• 24/7 stop/go traffic management and 30 km/h temporary speed limit until the work is completed.
• No work will be done during public holidays.

More information

• This work is funded by the Crown Resilience Programme - a $419 million investment package of resilience improvement activities that will reduce the impact of severe weather events on our national roading networks. The total crown resilience programme comprises $279 million for activities on State Highways, and $140 million for activities on Local Roads - Crown Resilience Programme (CRP)(external link)
• Other resilience works recently completed in the top of the South Island include:
  • flood prevention works on State Highway 1 at Dashwood in Marlborough, and also at State Highway 63 near the Wash Bridge in the Wairau Valley.
  • slip and rockfall protection at State Highway 6 at Dellows Bluff and rock scaling work on State Highway 63 Howard Narrows and State Highway 65 at Higgins Bluff.