But a handful of "locals" who live in the remote area will continue to have limited access during the difficult restoration project, which may take at least six weeks to complete, Queenstown Lakes District Council roading manager Ian Marshall said yesterday.
Closure of the narrow, demanding road, which dates back to 1863, soon after gold was discovered in the area, is nothing new.
The troublespot this time lies about 1km from the Coronet Peak turn-off, the same section of road affected by a slip two years ago.
This time, the road had been undermined so that a space of only 250mm is all that lies between the outside edge of a car wheel and the edge of the road.
Mr Marshall said a "major rain event" last May had scoured the spot again, leaving it in a fragile state.
Because it had become a safety issue, there was no option but to close the road to the public.
It was the "quiet time" of the tourism season for non-snow activities, so it was hoped the closure would have a minimal effect on the rafting, jetboating and guided tour businesses that regularly used the difficult, single lane gravel road.
"We hope to get it back into good order as soon as we can."
The first 800m section of the road will have to be graded to enable access for trucks with construction gear.
"It's not an easy job and given the historic nature of the road a certain level of care and sensitivity also needs to be applied," Mr Marshall said in a statement.
The Historic Places Trust had been consulted and an archaeologist will be on-site during the course of the project, which includes the reinstatement of original stack stone walls, rock-bolting and creating a gabion retaining wall.
A digger moves in to begin repair work on an undermined section of the historic Skippers Rd yesterday.
