Takaka Hill update 3 pm – change to normal convoys today, highway open until 7 pm Saturday night

The Takaka Hill Road into Golden Bay, SH60, was opened to all traffic before 2 pm today, as small slips which occurred this morning meant crews had to defer their planned road rebuild programme.

Crews are continuing to clear these slips so road users should expect short delays on the convoys this afternoon and early evening.

The highway will close to all traffic at 7pm this evening (Saturday, 24 March).

(Normally on Saturdays the highway is open for two hours in the morning, 7-9 am, and two hours in the evening, 5-7 pm.)

· The best place for people to check the status of the hill road to Golden Bay, particular during rainy weather with slips affecting the normal convoy schedule is at the Transport Agency’s Traffic and Travel pages, or the social media pages (listed below).

“For the safety of road users and crews, the road will close at 7pm so that all traffic and crews are off the road before darkness as the road cannot be monitored for slips in the dark,” says Transport Agency System Manager Frank Porter.

“Hopefully with the rain easing, the ground should start to dry out, reducing the risk of slips overnight,” he says. “The road is likely to open tomorrow, Sunday 25 March from 8am to 8pm the normal Sunday hours, but people should check our web pages first.”

The hill convoy opening was delayed this morning until 9 am as crews had to clear the highway of slip material from the recent rain before it opened.

The Transport Agency thanks all road users for their patience if they have had delays in the convoy queue and getting to and from Golden Bay in these changeable weather conditions.

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