Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s replacement of two culverts at Glenhope, south of Nelson, has progressed faster than anticipated.

“Good weather and the extra working hours due to having no traffic on the highway during the closure helped speed up this work,” says Andrew James, System Manager Waka Kotahi, for Nelson and Marlborough.

The highway is planned to re-open at 5pm today (Wednesday, 14 October).

Waka Kotahi’s Tasman Journeys team closed the 30 km stretch of SH6 south of Motupiko on Monday, 5 October and originally anticipated the closure could be in place until this weekend.

“The culverts were in place as of Friday last week (9 October) with final sealing and the re-installation of guardrails undertaken on Monday and Tuesday of this week,” says Mr James.

“A special thanks to all the daily road users and residents who have been inconvenienced by this closure. We appreciate everyone’s patience.”

The two culvert pipes were badly damaged in the Glenhope storm in November last year and required full replacements. Work was also needed around the inlet structure and guardrail, and road maintenance activities had to be completed ahead of the busy summer traffic period.

© Scoop Media