Opening date confirmed for crucial highway north of Kaikōura

Friday, 3 November 2017

NZTA says State Highway 1 will re-open through Kaikōura in time for the Christmas holiday period.

Ongoing work to repair the earthquake-stricken highway north of Kaikōura means some truck drivers will continue to use the alternative inland route after the coastal road reopens.

NZ Transport Agency earthquake recovery manager Tim Crow warned State Highway 1 north of Kaikōura would remain an active construction site after it reopened on December 15.

'It will look like it's unfinished, but it will be in a safe state for the public to use.'

Abseilers perched high above State Highway 1, south of Kaikōura, work at stabilising slip sites with wire mesh.

The crucial section of State Highway 1, which suffered huge earthquake and landslide damage during last November's magnitude-7.8 earthquake, provides a vital link for freight, tourism and other traffic.

Motorists are advised to allow five-and-a-half hours to drive the coastal route between Picton and Christchurch, an hour less than the alternative inland route.

NZTA has confirmed State Highway 1 will re-open north of Kaikōura just in time for the Christmas holiday period.

* SH1 north of Kaikōura will close overnight, have unsealed sections when it reopens**

*** SH1 repairs around Kaikōura 'on track' despite slips, wet weather

* Railway from Picton to Christchurch closes again after wet start to October**

The highway will reopen only during daytime hours, and with unsealed sections, lane closures and stop-go traffic control. Some temporary day closures are also possible.

The coastal highway's closure costs the freight industry an estimated $2.7 million in additional expenses each week and dropped the annual tourism spend in Kaikōura by nearly half, taking $63m from the region.

John Bond, who represents the upper South Island for the Road Transport Association, said the reopening announcement was good news, but some trucks would continue to take the inland route because of limitations such as stop-go signs and daylight opening only on SH1.

'They have done a fantastic job, and always kept us informed. But perhaps the cars and campervans can use the coast route to get things happening for the economy in Kaikōura. That will take the congestion off the inland route and leave it for the truckies.'

Crow said there would be three or four areas where drivers could pull off the new SH1 for a rest and to take in the views.

'However, we do need a lot of the space as well, this is a very constrained corridor.'

Destination Kaikōura general manager Glenn Ormsby said having a reopening date would be a huge relief to the region's tourism and hospitality businesses and would enable tourists to plan their summer visits.

'We are very happy – they have battled through a lot,' he said.

'For international tourists, and domestic travellers as well, it will give them confidence to book.'

The timing was ideal for boat tour operators, with the Kaikōura marina scheduled to open on November 14, Ormsby said.

Crow said where the highway passed Ohau Point, the site of the largest slip, the road would reopen at half of its final height as work building seawalls continued.

'We'll still have a lot of work to go, but what we'll be doing is building a temporary road so that we'll have over Christmas two-lane traffic.'

After Christmas, that section was likely to go back to one lane with stop-go sections so seawall construction could continue.

It was misleading to see a construction site and think finishing was a way off as 'the final work, to get traffic to be able to run on this, is actually probably the quickest part', he said.

'What you don't see is all the groundwork that it takes, and a lot of that work is actually scaling, sluicing, getting it safe.'

The team wanted to get nighttime running open as soon as possible, but would be using the night closures to do seawall work, he said.

Earthquake recovery work would continue through early 2018. As work was finished, contractors would switch to building the $231m upgrade that would realign some sections undamaged in the quake and build a separated cycleway along 60 kilometres of the highway.

Highway work south of Kaikōura would also continue in the new year, but the regular midweek closures on the road would cease.

Crow said the odd full-day closure would still be needed, but the community and freight industry would be given as much notice as possible. He advised people to check the latest conditions before taking the route and at key points.

He said he was extremely proud of the people who had worked on the project.

'They've put themselves out, they've worked long hours and I think they've achieved great results, despite the weather and despite all the other challenges we've got with this constrained corridor.'