The State Highway Summer Maintenance Programme will be continuing to make its mark on State Highway 7 between Hanmer Springs and the Lewis Pass next week.

Resurfacing work is being carried out on the route near Gorge Stream. The narrow nature of the area being resurfaced means there is not enough room to operate a single lane for traffic while this work is being done. The site is significantly constrained with a bluff on one side and a guardrail on the other.

This section of State Highway 7 will be closed for two to three nights while resurfacing works are completed.

Closure Schedule:

• The night closures are planned between 7 pm and 6 am from Tuesday, 7 February to Thursday, 9 February.
• The highway will be fully reopened to all traffic on Friday, 10 February, at 6 am.
• There will be hourly 10-minute openings each night to let queued vehicles through.

Closure Map:

Regular users of the route need to factor these works into their travel plans as there will be delays. Waka Kotahi advises drivers to plan their travel outside of the night closure periods if they can.

Waka Kotahi understands these works will create delays for road users. However, closing the road at night will allow the resurfacing work to be done more safely, efficiently, and faster than under daytime stop/go traffic management.

We want to thank drivers for their patience and understanding while this vital maintenance work is done. These works are essential to keeping our highways safe for all road users.

Waka Kotahi is providing regular updates to the public as the severe weather continues to affect Aotearoa this week. Our Journey Planner page is updated by our traffic operations centres 24/7 to provide the latest available information on state highway closures and disruptions. Remember to refresh the page when checking the status of highways to ensure the latest updates are displayed.

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with:

· Traffic updates: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic

• Facebook: facebook.com/NZTASouthIsland
• Twitter: twitter.com/WakaKotahiTOTS
• Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz
• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)

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