MEDIA RELEASE

6 April 2017 | SOUTHERN REGION

Kaikoura access: 11.15 am Thursday, Kaikoura still isolated

State Highway 1 Kekerengu to Clarence has reopened

Access to Clarence was restored thismorning with debris cleared from the highway south of Kekerengu. Parts of the road will be reduced to one lane in several places and 30km/hour speed limit. Flooding at Tirohanga has receded, but drivers need to take extreme care in many places.

Waiau/ Mt Lyford road (Route 70) - crews working hard but road still closed

The inland road (Route 70) to Kaikoura via Waiau and Mt Lyford remains closed this morning. Status will updated at midday. Check this page for updates.

State Highway 1 south of Kaikoura remains closed all day

State Highway 1 south of Kaikoura is likely to remain closed all day today (Thursday). High volumes of rain caused mudslides to block the highway in the past two days, pushing rock-filled containers over the edge of the road.

Five mud and rock slides are now blocking the road in different sections and teams of excavators and loaders will be working today to clear those slips.

“At Site 14, more of the soil and rock has come down in the heavy rain last night. The shipping containers have again been pushed closer to the sea and an estimated 2000 cubic metres has fallen from that slip face. This slip needs to be cleared and the containers reinstated before the road can reopen,” says Steve Mutton, Transport Agency Earthquake Recovery Manager.

(See photo below and check NZ Transport Agency South Island Facebook pages for more photos)

Please check these pages on the Transport Agency’s Traffic and Travel pages for updates on the closure and status of the highway.

Ways to find out what is happening on the highway network:

• NZ Transport Agency's travel and traffic page here.

• Transport Agency Canterbury West Coast Twitter updates

• Transport Agency Facebook South Island

• Call 0800 4 HIGHWAYS 0800 44 44 49

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