People travelling between the West Coast and Canterbury today should take the Lewis Pass route via Waipara and Reefton (SH7), says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

• This route can add an hour to the journey depending on which part of the West Coast people are heading to/away from.

Traffic has been stopped all morning on either side of a large scrub fire next to SH73 around Flock Hill, being managed by Canterbury Fire and Emergency NZ.

• NZTA has traffic closures in place between Springfield and Arthur’s Pass.

If necessary, based on advice from Fire and Emergency, this closure may continue overnight until it is again safe for drivers to use SH73.

Fire and Emergency has just (1.20 pm) updated the situation on its Facebook page (see link below) with the next update around 3.30 pm.

• Check Canterbury Fire and Emergency Facebook for updates and photos/video: https://www.facebook.com/FENZCanterburyDistrict
• Radio NZ is also running updates https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/535726/live-state-highway-73-closes-school-camps-evacuated-as-canterbury-fire-grows
• Canterbury highway closures: https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/highway-conditions/canterbury

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with:

• Traffic updates: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic
• Facebook Canterbury & West Coast: https://www.facebook.com/nztacwc/
• X NZTA: https://x.com/nztamain
• X Canterbury & West Coast: https://x.com/nztacwc
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/nztransportagency
• TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@nztransportagency
• Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz
• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)

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