Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
Resilience work on State Highway 6 over the Whangamoa Saddle has wrapped up for the year, making the route stronger and better able to withstand heavy rain events.
Since late September, crews have worked on three separate sites on the critical transport link between Nelson and Blenheim. It followed similar work earlier in the year to bolster the resilience of the highway between Hira and the Rai Valley.
Rob Service, System Manager Nelson Tasman says crews have done an excellent job over the last two months.
“Contractors have constructed and installed concrete beams to stabilise the road, which will reduce the risk of washouts and underslips on this fragile section of State Highway 6. They’ve also improved kerbing and drainage, which helps protect the road’s surface from water damage.”
“Combined with resurfacing work carried out during the recent maintenance night closures, this stretch of the region’s network is in better shape than ever,” Mr Service says.
He says it’s a testament to the team’s good planning and hard work that the resilience work wrapped up for the year almost exactly on schedule.
“This is despite several delays over winter and spring due to severe weather and challenging conditions.”
Mr Service is thanking road users for their cooperation and patience while the work was underway.
“We know how people feel about roadworks when they’re travelling and appreciate they can be frustrating.”
“However, bad weather this winter has shown how valuable resilience works like these are. They help protect the highway during severe weather events, and keep a critical transport links open,” Mr Service says.
He says every step possible was taken to reduce the project’s impact on traffic.
“The steps we took – like working on one site at a time and stepping up our efforts during last month’s night closures for routine maintenance – meant road users faced shorter delays while allowing our crews to work quickly and efficiently.”
More Information:
- This cost for this phase of the Whangamoa resilience works was $1.9 million.
- This work is funded by the Crown Resilience Programme – a $419 million investment package of resilience improvement activities that will reduce the impact of severe weather events on our national roading networks. The total crown resilience programme comprises $279 million for activities on State Highways, and $140 million for activities on Local Roads -
