The main route between Nelson and Rai Valley will close for seven weeks to allow for repairs to the road.
Waka Kotahi system manager Top of the South, Andrew James, says after the weather event in August, Waka Kotahi opened SH6 quickly, while more permanent fixes were being completed on SH63.
“Now that we have completed the repairs on State Highway 63, we need to get back onto State Highway 6 to fix five substantially damaged sites where there have been underslips,” he says.
“Three of these will require us to significantly cut back the road before it can be built back up again.”
Waka Kotahi will close SH6 between Hira and Ronga Road near Rai Valley from Tuesday, 1 November to Sunday, 18 December to make the repairs.
People will be able to travel between Blenheim and Nelson by using State Highway 63 (SH63) through to Kawatiri junction, then SH6.
He says they looked at alternative options like opening the road at night or at intervals to let people through, but ultimately that could’ve seen delays for more than six months.
“To keep everyone safe and finish the work as quickly as possible, we must close the road for seven weeks. We realise this is a substantial amount of time, but the route is currently vulnerable, and another serious weather event could seriously damage it and see it closed for months. We must get this work done as quickly as possible.”
He says contractors will work as quickly as possible to get these sites repaired, and ongoing work will be needed after the closure ends.
“When SH6 reopens on 18 December, we plan to have two traffic lanes re-established for the holiday season. We will need to return to complete further minor repairs in the next year, but we are not expecting to close the road for this work.”
Andrew warns complex structural projects like this face risks from unexpected geotechnical factors and potential weather delays but promises all efforts will be made to meet deadlines.
Other planned maintenance work will be brought forward and completed during the closure. This includes pavement renewal and additional drainage work to improve network resilience, such as improving culvert inlets and outlets, increasing the size of some culverts, and strengthening drainage channels.
Andrew says Waka Kotahi understands the closure will cause inconvenience for people, particularly those living in or around the Rai Valley.
“This is the best option on the table, and we appreciate their patience while this crucial transport link is repaired. We are making every effort to get the route restored before the busy Christmas period.”
Residents and businesses within the Kokorua Rd and the closure zone will be contacted directly by our crews in the coming weeks to work through access arrangements.
