The NZ Transport Agency last night apologised to road users for ''unacceptable'' delays in the Kawarau Gorge yesterday.
In a statement, the NZTA said drivers and passengers on State Highway 6 between Arrowtown and Cromwell faced delays of up to an hour and a-half yesterday when planned roadworks coincided with the unexpected closure of the Crown Range road.
The NZTA said two pieces of work were under way in the Central Otago gorge yesterday.
They were the resealing of 1.5km of road at Goldfields, which began three weeks ago, and rock scaling at Nevis Bluff from noon to 2pm.
''The Transport Agency sincerely apologises to everyone held up in the Kawarau Gorge today,'' NZTA system manager Graeme Hall said.
The NZTA said the long delays yesterday were a result of the Crown Range-Cardrona route being closed because of severe weather, meaning the Kawarau Gorge became the only route between Arrowtown and Cromwell.
It was not anticipated the Crown Range road would need to be closed at the same time as this work was taking place and this created the backlog.
''A number of people phoned the transport agency to complain about the traffic backlog and we acknowledge that resealing in the gorge should have been paused earlier to release the pressure on the network,'' Mr Hall said.
Although the planned work was advertised in advance to freight companies and other regular users of the highway, the combination of the unplanned closure of the Crown Range road and the effects upon traffic was not anticipated, and these effects and delays should have been minimised earlier, the NZTA said.
