Skifield operator NZSki's project to extend the seal on the winding 13km road on the mountain range near Queenstown was announced two months ago, and follows the sealing of the first 4km before the 2014 season.
Remarkables Ski Area manager Ross Lawrence said work had been expected to start at the end of November but was delayed by two weeks.
Once preparatory work - mainly the laying of gravel - was completed, contractor Fulton Hogan would begin sealing the road at the end of February.
Completion was set for mid-April.
‘‘It's a big project, but we're confident it will be done on time.''Earthworks at the Red Eye Rock corner to ease manoeuvrability were completed before Christmas, while 14 culverts had been replaced, he said.
Following tensions with outdoor groups over the road's closure last summer, the company consulted them over arrangements for continuing public access during the latest project.
The road is open to the public outside the daily work period, which is 7.30am to 6.30pm, and will also be open from 10am to 10.30am and from 2pm to 2.30pm each day.
The company has also applied for resource consent to carry out further earthworks at three points along the road.
The application, which was lodged last month, proposes doubling the size of the bottom car park by State Highway 6, expanding the chain-fitting bay at the 6km mark, and trimming back an embankment at the 2km mark to improve visibility at the entrance to two farm tracks on land owned by Remarkables Park Stud Farm Ltd.
The consent is required because the earthworks exceed 300 cubic metres in volume and are within the rural general zone.
Mr Lawrence said the earthworks proposed in the application did not directly affect the sealing project.
