Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
Contractors will be undertaking maintenance work including road marking in the Buller Gorge in the week of 14-18 November, says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
The work will cover both the Upper and Lower sections of the Buller Gorge (see maps below) although work will only occur over one section of the gorge at any one time. The closure programme includes allowance for rescheduling due to wet weather conditions:
- The Upper Buller Gorge work is likely to start from Monday night, 14 November aiming to end Wednesday night/Thursday morning, 16/17 November.
- The Lower Buller Gorge work could start as early as Tuesday, 15 November, aiming to be finished Friday night/ Saturday morning, 18/19 November.
- The two sections of work will not occur at the same time.
In order to do the work safely, the highway will be closed each night from 10pm to 6am with an opening between 1am and 1.30am to allow traffic through.
- The Upper Buller Gorge will be closed at O’Sullivans Bridge and Inangahua township.
- The Lower Buller Gorge will be closed at Inangahua Junction and the SH67/6 junction east entrance to Westport.
People who normally travel in and out of Westport overnight will need to ensure they are through the Buller Gorge before 10pm, or be at the road blocks at each end of the closure points between 1am and 1.30am, says Moira Whinham, Maintenance Contract Manager for Waka Kotahi on the West Coast.
People who arrive outside that half hour slot will have to wait for the 6am opening.
“We appreciate this will be inconvenient for some people and thank you for enabling us to get this work done before Christmas,” she says. “The full road closures are safer for our crews and enable us to get more done in a shorter space of time, but we acknowledge some road users may have to change their schedules around the opening times.”
Emergency services will always be accommodated.
Alternative routes into Westport for people on SH6 coming from the east involve a large loop route via Springs Junction or Greymouth to the south, adding many kms to the trip.
The full route into and out of Westport, via both Upper and Lower Buller Gorges.
Upper Buller Gorge, SH6.
Lower Buller Gorge, SH6.
Confirmation of the night of closures and any other updates(external link)
