The Kaikoura earthquakes over Labour Day Weekend will not affect the planned re-opening of
State Highway 1 north of Kaikoura, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has confirmed.
On Friday, NZTA announced its plans to re-open SH1 in time for Christmas travel, restoring the coastal highway link from Picton to Christchurch, but emphasised that ensuring the safety of road users remained the agency’s top priority.
NZTA Earthquake Recovery Manager Tim Crow said although crews were working hard to re-open for the holidays, working in difficult and wet conditions, it was important to note that the highway would not be completed by December as work on the rebuild would continue “well into 2018.”
Crow said when the road re-opens there will be some unsealed surfaces, lane closures and stop/go traffic controls. The route will also need to be closed at night for several months as a safety precaution, and planned closures may also be needed at times to carry out high-impact work.
Standard summer opening hours are expected to be between dawn and dusk but this will be confirmed before opening, with any planned closures advertised in advance whenever possible, Crow said.
The average estimated travel time to drive between Picton and Christchurch on SH1 when it re-opens is expected to be around five and a half hours under normal conditions. This is an hour longer than the same journey pre-earthquake, but around an hour faster than the current journey time using the alternate highway route via Lewis Pass, Crow added.
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