Wednesday, 12 June 2024

Tunnel vision for a special highway

    1. Canterbury
    2. National

    The freshly asphalted surface inside the new entrance to the Homer Tunnel on the Te Anau side is...
    The freshly asphalted surface inside the new entrance to the Homer Tunnel on the Te Anau side is designed to protect road users from avalanche and rockfall hazards. PHOTO: NZTA/ WAKA KOTAHI
    The completion of a $29 million upgrade to Milford Road's Homer Tunnel is set to make it a safer and more reliable way of getting to a special part of Southland.

    State Highway 94 is the only route to Milford Sound/Piopiotah and a lifeline for local tourism and commercial fishing businesses.

    A new avalanche shelter has been built on the Te Anau side of the tunnel making it winter ready, NZ Transport Agency/Waka Kotahi said in a statement today. 

    “NZTA has worked with its Crown infrastructure partners on a $29 million upgrade over the last three years, focused on improving safety and reliability for all Homer Tunnel users and work crews,” the agency's James Caygill, director regional relationships, said. 

    “We need this route to be as safe and resilient as possible, given its importance to the economy and the Southland and Otago communities,” Mr Caygill said. 

    The avalanche shelter entrance features unique artwork depicting the special cultural connection...
    The avalanche shelter entrance features unique artwork depicting the special cultural connection local iwi have with Milford Sound/ Piopiotahi.
    The surrounding alpine terrain and extreme weather meant the only window to safely build the new shelter was in the summer construction season from November to May.

    It replaces a 70-year-old shelter that had reached the end of its economic life.

    “Thanks to the dedication and hard work of the project team, they got this job over the finish line in a tight time frame, in harsh mountainous terrain,” he said.

    Workers assemble 165 pre-cast concrete modules on site like giant Lego.
    Workers assemble 165 pre-cast concrete modules on site like giant Lego.
    There was also the challenge of working in a World Heritage National Park, requiring the careful management of environmental factors throughout.

    The new avalanche shelter was designed to be portable and modular, with 165 pre-cast concrete modules assembled on site like giant Lego.

    Alongside the new shelter, the tunnel’s power, sound and lighting systems were overhauled and a new plant and equipment room built into the foot of the mountain.

    A 1.2km duct protects cabling in a fire, and a solar-powered communications tower upgrade delivers better coverage in this remote wilderness area.