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Roading crews have made good progress to clear slips on the state highway between Makarora and Lake Hāwea after recent heavy rain.
This section of SH6 has been closed since Friday, after rain affected the area and loosened material on hillsides near the highway.
Roading crews worked through the weekend and are now keeping a close eye on more troublesome weather forecast.
A spokesman for the New Zealand Transport Agency/Waka Kotahi said on Monday afternoon the route should reopen to controlled, limited traffic access from Tuesday.
“With many of the 30 separate slips cleared and assessments done by geotechnical engineers about the risk of further rocks and debris coming down onto the road, the intention is to operate a limited number of daily escorted convoys through this section of SH6."
Timing and details of these access opportunities would be confirmed and shared later on Monday, he said, but weather conditions would dictate when these escorted convoys can happen.
MetService road snowfall warnings remain in place in the region until Monday evening. “Conditions are forecast to be suitable tomorrow, but heavy rain predicted from Wednesday may require reverting back to a complete closure until the weather passes. This is because the rain may increase the risk of further slips from already sodden hillsides.”
A general reopening to traffic was not yet considered safe, but the teams would continue working towards that, he said and NZTA would continue to work with emergency services on access for emergencies.
“NZTA thanks people for their patience and understanding as work continues around the clock to return full, safe access to SH6.”
- Allied Media