The reopening of State Highway 1 north of Kaikoura is being praised as a “substantial achievement”.
The NZ Transport Agency is opening the road today which connects the coastal corridor for the first time since it was damaged in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in November last year.
Road Transport Forum chief executive Ken Shirley is congratulating NZTA and the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR) alliance for getting the job done in a short timeframe.
“The thousands of people who worked on the project over the last year deserve our industry’s gratitude.
“To move one million cubic metres of material from 1500 damaged sites along 194 kilometres of road in a matter of months is quite a feat, and to do it while dealing with some significant adverse weather events makes it even more remarkable.
“The road’s reopening is of course good news, however it is important that operators are mindful of the fragile nature of the route and the frustrations that will inevitably occur along it,” Shirley says.
NZTA earthquake recovery manager Tim Crow says while the re-opening of the road is an exciting time, sightseers are encouraged to take an alternative route for now.
It’s important traffic volumes are kept to the minimum with construction work still underway, he says.
“Our road crews will be working up until the last minute to get the road ready and we’ll still be moving trucks and equipment off site on December 15 before the road re-opens.”
Several sites will still be under construction with unsealed surfaces, lane closures, speed restrictions and stop/go traffic controls.
Two areas on SH1, north of Kaikoura between Clarence and Mangamaunu and south of Kaikoura between Goose Bay and Peketa, will also be closed overnight as a safety precaution from 8.30pm to 7am.
