An avalanche risk and snow in the South meant State Highway 94 to Milford Sound/Piopiotahi had been closed since last Thursday. It reopened at 12.30pm today.
NZ Transport Agency Milford Road alliance manager Kevin Thompson earlier said that large, natural avalanches were occurring in a number of places and crews could not get in safely to clear the road due to low cloud and rain.
"It’s been a large storm cycle over the past week or so. At the weekend we started getting heavy, warm rainfall on to our avalanche ‘start zones’, which triggered avalanches covering the road in places. These take time and machinery to clear once it is safe to do so."
The Milford Road team inspected the upper slopes by helicopter to assess how safe it was to get in to clear, Mr Thompson said today.
“We had a small window last evening and got in with helicopter explosive control work."
This was pre-emptive work managed by the Milford Road Alliance to set off avalanches when there was no traffic on the highway and clear the road once it was safe to do so.
Mr Thompson acknowledged many businesses that operate in the Sound were inconvenienced by the closure, but safety was a priority.
It was snowing in the area late yesterday. However, fine weather was forecast for the Homer Tunnel area for most of the week and the avalanche risk was now low.
The Hollyford Road was closed due to washout damage and Mr Thompson expected that it would take "several weeks to repair and provide good access - weather permitting".
The new option involves the existing eastern avalanche shelter, the structure at the tunnel entrance, which has reached the end of its useful life.
It is hoped the design will be completed this year and work will start next year but given the need to work around the avalanche season and the complexity of working in the extreme environment, the avalanche shelter will not be completed until 2023.
