People who drive through the Lower Buller Gorge, east of Westport, will face a two-hour closure of SH6 next Thursday, 3 April, for rock blasting. The highway will be closed from midday to 2 pm.

If it is wet, the closure could be shifted to the next dry day.

SH6 is the main highway into Westport from Nelson/ Tasman and Canterbury.

The alternative route is SH6 south of Westport to Greymouth, SH7 to Reefton and SH69 to Inangahua Junction, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

NZTA thanks everyone for planning around the closure which is needed to keep drivers safe and ensure the blasted rock can be safely cleared from the highway before re-opening, says Moira Whinham, Maintenance Contract Manager for NZTA on the West Coast.

“We appreciate the other route in and out of Westport could add two hours to the journey, depending on where people are coming from. If people can travel a bit earlier that day, or delay till the afternoon, it will help them avoid delays,” she says.

The area being rock blasted next week, weather dependent, between Berlins and Inangahua Junction:

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