Safety must come first.

That’s the message being delivered loud and clear from those working hard to re-connect Marlborough Sounds and Awatere Valley communities still isolated after the July 17 storm in Marlborough.

Marlborough Roads Recovery Manager, Marlborough Roads, Steve Murrin said access could not be restored until safety thresholds were met. “Once we meet these safety requirements, then we can progress access. We are still in response mode in parts of the Marlborough region, particularly in the Marlborough Sounds. Safety is an issue, for the public and for our work crews. Until we have confidence that a road is safe, we cannot open it, even for restricted access,” he said. “Just because someone can drive on a road, this does not make it safe.”

The cost of getting all damaged roads back to a safe condition to allow access – including Queen Charlotte Drive, Kenepuru Road and associated side roads, Kaiuma Bay Road, the Awatere Valley Road, Northbank Road and the Waihopai Valley Road – is likely to cost the region an estimated $20 million. The majority of the network has now been assessed, except for the last 10km of the Awatere Valley Road.

The statistics keep growing as the recovery effort continues – the latest tally of faults in the network is 1,100 with 49,000 cubic metres of spill material now removed. “More than 400 of these faults are on the Kenepuru Road. We have 60 complex sites identified across the network and 38 of these are also on the Kenepuru Road and 16 on Queen Charlotte Drive,” said Mr Murrin.

“Queen Charlotte Drive, Kenepuru Road and its many side roads, and the Awatere Valley Road are still fragile. Our priorities as a roading recovery team are preservation of life, then access, then restoration,” said Mr Murrin.

The Marlborough District Council and the Marlborough Roads Recovery Team are working with affected communities as the roading recovery work continues. Crews have been working during Alert Level 4, under an exemption from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), but progress has been slower due to the COVID-19 operating requirements, said Mr Murrin.

“Since moving to Level 3 Covid restrictions we have been able to increase the number of crews working across the district. Numbers are now up to pre-lockdown levels with around 130 staff back on the ground,” he said.

There have been a number of milestones achieved, including:

• The installation of a bailey bridge in the Waihopai Valley
• Limited 4WD access to the Awatere Valley Road
• Full access restored to the Northbank Road
• Limited access for residents and essential services on Queen Charlotte Drive; full access for emergencies

“Following the storm we had 350km of local roads closed due to damage. Since then we’ve managed to open 276km of these, 38km with limited access. We have a further 74km of road still closed,” said Mr Murrin.

The Upper Awatere Valley and some Marlborough Sounds communities still face a long period of disrupted access, particularly on the Kenepuru Road and its associated side roads, and the Kaiuma Bay Road which was badly damaged.

Further Information

Anyone with welfare needs associated with the July storm should contact the Council at recovery@marlborough.govt.nz

For the latest road status before you start your journey, please visit the Marlborough Emergency Management Official Public Information Map: https://bit.ly/RoadToRecoveryMarl

To stay up to date on the latest roading alerts, go to: https://bit.ly/RoadingAlertsMarl

Those needing a Convoy Pass for Queen Charlotte Drive should go to: https://bit.ly/RoadToRecoveryMarl

For roading information and queries please contact Marlborough Roads on 03 520 8024 or 0800 213 213 between 8.00 am - 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday. Alternatively, you can email the recovery team at recovery@marlboroughroads.com

For more information about essential activities under Alert Level 3, please visit covid19.govt.nz

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