Road works on a severe under slip near the end of Tumbledown Bay Road were completed on Monday, allowing the road to open to public access.

Council transport recovery advisor Steve Murrin said the Marlborough Roads team has worked tirelessly to get access restored where possible before the Christmas break.

“This is the final 2.3km of road in the Port Underwood area that was closed to all vehicles, so we’re thrilled to have it open,” Mr Murrin said.

Over 670km of Marlborough’s roads sustained damage in the August 2022 storm with over 4,000 faults identified.

“We’ve now opened over 617km of road to public access and repaired more than 1,000 faults,” Mr Murrin said.

“There has been some great progress made, but we know that we have a long way to go.”

There are roads in the Marlborough Sounds that remain restricted to resident and emergency services only and other restrictions.

Kenepuru Road and its side roads, including Moetapu Bay Road, are restricted to residents and emergency services only. They are not suitable for visitors.

Other road restrictions over the summer holiday period:

Resident and emergency access only:

• Kenepuru Road and its side roads: no campervans, vans or buses. 4WD only. No vehicles over 8 metres in length. Light vehicles only, nothing over 3.5 tonnes.
• Moetapu Bay Road: no campervans, vans or buses. 4WD only. Light vehicles only, nothing over 3.5 tonnes or 8m in length.

Resident and visitor access:

• Queen Charlotte Drive: no vehicles over 12.6 metres in length.
• Anakiwa Road: no vehicles over 12.6 metres in length. No vehicles heavier than 3.5 tonnes after Tirimoana Jetty.

French Pass and Tennyson Inlet are accessible, but drivers should be aware that the road is narrower than usual in some sections.

From Thursday 22 December 2022 to Monday 16 January 2023 there will be no works on the roads in the Marlborough Sounds and Awatere Valley.

There will remain areas of temporary traffic management, including six sets of traffic lights on Queen Charlotte Drive, on the roads affected by the August 2022 storm.

Drivers are reminded no matter what the status of the road, to drive to the conditions and adhere to all traffic management signage.

To check the status of any local road in Marlborough visit the Marlborough District Council’s CDEM Map and click on the road for more information.

This status of Marlborough’s local roads is valid until 16 January 2023. If another severe weather event should occur, roads may be closed at short notice. Please keep up to date via Marlborough District Council’s website at www.marlborough.govt.nz or via its Facebook page or Antenno alerting app.

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