NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) will begin clearing the SH73 Rock Shelter roof from Monday, 9 September, involving a change in the hours the road will be open.

The SH73 route linking Otira and Arthur’s Pass has been closed at nights for the past fortnight after snow melt and heavy rain triggered a rockfall which overflowed onto the road at the western end of the Rock Shelter.

The aim of the work is to remove the accumulation of material on top of the Rock Shelter, to restore the structure’s operational performance.

“To do this work requires large machinery taking up the full road width in this narrow part of the Otira Gorge. SH73 between Otira and Arthur’s Pass will need to be closed for four hours initially, then after that closed openings on the hour for traffic to get through,” says Moira Whinham, Maintenance Contract Manager for NZTA on the West Coast.

”We need the crane to lift the excavator onto the roof. The proposed time for this first  closure is 10 am to 2 pm, Monday 9 September. If the conditions are unsuitable, it will be pushed out to the next dry day.

“From Tuesday, or once the excavator is lifted onto the structure, the work will get underway clearing rock. This means that the road will be closed daily, Tuesday to Friday that week, from 9am to 5pm, with openings on the hour to clear traffic.”

• No work is planned for Saturdays or Sundays, which will be open as usual daytimes, 7.30 am to 5.30 pm.

The Rock Shelter’s western entrance Tuesday this week:

Closed overnight continues for next few weeks

The road will remain closed overnight between 5.30pm and 7.30am until enough work is completed to make the site safe.  An update will be provided on re-opening for overnight as soon as this is possible.

“This work is weather dependent, so it may be postponed on days where the conditions are unsuitable to work.  In these cases, the road will be open during the day if it is safe to do so.

“There are many variables to ensure this work can occur safely each day, which means that work plans may change at short notice.  We appreciate people’s patience while we progress this work as quickly as possible.”

• Any changes to route availability will be updated on the Journey Planner at all times. https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/highway-conditions
• Electronic signs at each end of SH73 in places like Kumara Junction and Springfield will let people know the open hours that day.
• This work is expected to take up to six weeks to complete, subject to weather.   As the crew moves more material, NZTA will have more confidence on the likely duration.
• An update will be provided each Friday to confirm the closures for the following week.
• There may be other maintenance work on SH73 which may increase travel times.  Check the journey planner to ensure you have enough time to reach the road block points either side.

“We understand that this work is disruptive and appreciate people’s understanding while we make this site safe and get the highway back to normal operations for the summer,” says Miss Whinham.

Alternative route between the West Coast and Canterbury – the Lewis Pass

People wanting to avoid delays should take the Lewis Pass route via Waipara and Reefton/SH7, which adds around an hour to the journey between Christchurch and the West Coast.

• Updates here: https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/highway-conditions/canterbury/warnings/477781

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with:

• Traffic updates: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic
• Facebook Canterbury & West Coast: https://www.facebook.com/nztacwc/
• X NZTA: https://x.com/nztamain
• X Canterbury & West Coast: https://x.com/nztacwc
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/nztransportagency
• TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@nztransportagency
• Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz
• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)

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