State Highway 6 between Hira and Rai Valley closed this morning to allow for repair work to the road which was severely damaged in the August weather event.
Heavy rain over the weekend caused further damage to the route. Safety checks were carried out and the road remained safe for use ahead of today's closure.
The stretch of highway linking Nelson and Blenheim will remain closed until Sunday 18 December - a seven week closure time.
From today, there will be no public access through the SH6 work sites for anyone other than contractors and repair crews due to the nature of the work required and the fact a number of work sites will take up the entire road width.
Access from Blenheim to Havelock and the Rai Valley remains. However, people travelling between Nelson and Blenheim will have to detour via State Highway 63 and Saint Arnaud.
While access to Hira, at the Nelson side of the closure zone, has been arranged for residents inside the closure zone via forestry roads, there will be no similar access on the other side of the closure zone, into the Rai Valley because the forestry roads here were too badly damaged during the August floods.
Waka Kotahi appreciates the closure will cause significant disruption for residents and regular users of the route. However, the full closure means the repairs can be completed faster, and the intention is to have the road fully restored to two lanes before Christmas.
Originair have extended flights between Nelson and Blenheim after trila bookings opened last week.
“It’s good news that there has been sufficient demand to enable Originair to commit to the service for the full seven weeks,” says Nelson Mayor Nick Smith.
“This is about making the best of a bad situation. The closure of State Highway 6 for seven weeks to enable major repairs after the devastating weather event in August affects thousands of travellers every day.
"The provision of this air service provides an option of a 20-minute flight instead of a 2 hour forty-minute drive. It is particularly important for minimising the disruption to important public services like health," he says.
“There was uncertainty about the level of demand and so the service was initially to be trialed for two weeks.
Mayor Nick repeated his thanks to Originair, both Nelson and Marlborough airports and Te Whatu Ora Nelson Marlborough for supporting the air service.
Originair chief executive Rob Inglis says ticket sales were strong, and enough to ensure the route was economically viable.
“It takes a lot to set up a flight service and my team have managed to move quickly at a time of need for Nelson and Blenheim. Thanks to everyone who has booked a flight!”
Originair chief financial officer Brendon Grundy says the flights were made possible with support from the Mayoral Relief Fund, the help of both airport companies and Nelson/Marlborough hospitals.
“This support, added onto the public seat reservations we had in the first week, has given us the confidence to extend the service. We hope it can assist travellers during a difficult time.
