Waka Kotahi has met with affected community members to outline options for those in the closure zone when State Highway 6 closes for emergency repairs next month.

The route will be closed at six am Tuesday, 1 November and is due to reopen on Sunday, 18 December. The closure zone is between Hira, near Nelson, and Ronga Road, in the Rai Valley.

The seven-week closure is vital to allow essential repairs and resilience work on the critical transport link between Nelson and Blenheim. Over the past few weeks, Waka Kotahi representatives have been meeting with affected residents in the closure zone to discuss their situation and available access options.

Mark Owen, Regional Manager Lower North Island and Top of the South, says arrangements have been made for residents and those with business commitments and animal welfare requirements within the closure area.

“They will have access to and from Kokorua Road via a forestry track at the top of Whangamoa range to the Hira end of the closure. All access will be via escorted convoys at scheduled times for safety reasons.”

Mr Owen says the trips will take approximately 40 minutes. The route is a safe but narrow and steep gravel forestry road.

“Our aim is to run 12 convoys daily. Three each way in the morning and three each way in the afternoon/evening. We hope this should help those families caught up in the closure zone while the repairs to State Highway 6 are carried out.”

Mr Owen says Waka Kotahi accepts the affected residents are in a difficult situation and to have their road access affected in this way is a huge burden. However, he says there were no easy options given how fragile State Highway 6 is.

“If there were to be another significant flood, the route could be shut down entirely for months. This would have a huge impact on local communities and businesses and is something we want to avoid at all costs. A seven-week closure, and getting the work done as quickly as possible, is the only way to mitigate this risk”, Mr Owen says.

Waka Kotahi is thanking Tasman Pine Forest Limited and the owners of the land, Ngāti Koata, for their assistance. Mr Owen says the access being provided couldn’t have happened without their cooperation.

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