Marlborough Mayor John Leggett has welcomed Waka Kotahi’s announcement yesterday that State Highway 6 will be fully open, albeit with restrictions in place, by Wednesday 31 August.

State Highway 6 between Havelock and Rai Valley is likely to be re-opened with speed restrictions and traffic management in place by Tuesday morning (August 30), and all of State Highway 6 between Nelson and Blenheim re-opened by Wednesday morning (August 31), with restrictions in place.

Waka Kotahi contractors have been out in force across Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman to assess damage, clear debris and undertake repairs to begin re-establishing vital state highway links in the region following last week’s torrential rain.

Mayor Leggett says the effort by Waka Kotahi and all contractors involved has been huge and the re-establishing of the vital link - State Highway 6 - between Blenheim and Nelson will be very welcome once achieved.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank all those working to bring that to fruition. While it has come too late for fans to travel across the hill for the Tasman Mako game tonight, we will be absolutely thrilled to be reconnected with our Nelson friends again. We know how crucial these transport links are to our communities and businesses in both regions,” said Mayor Leggett.

Waka Kotahi Transport Systems Manager for Top of the South Andrew James said yesterday that crews would be working hard throughout the weekend with the aim of re-opening key sections of State Highway 6 early next week, with temporary speed restrictions and traffic management in place.

“We’ll continue working in partnership with the Nelson/Tasman and Marlborough Civil Defence groups to ensure that all of the needed safety checks and approvals from Civil Defence are in place for road access to resume,” said Mr James.

The damage to these roads from the severe weather was significant, and when they do re-open there will be temporary speed restrictions, lane closures and traffic management in place at several locations, so the public are advised to please factor in longer journey times and delays when planning travel.

For information on local roads in Marlborough go to: Alerts - Marlborough District Council

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