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Proactive Highway Closures To Avoid Accidents, Greater Disruption
New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is thanking road users and residents for their patience after a series of proactive closures to State Highway 8 in the South Island’s Mackenzie Basin over the last week.
“With the snow continuing to fall and roads becoming extremely icy at nights, our teams made good calls to do some overnight closures between Fairlie and Twizel in recent days,” says NZTA system manager Mark Pinner.
“While we know these closures can be disruptive for some, I have no doubt that those decisions helped to prevent accidents and stranding of vehicles that could have led to much longer closures and even greater disruption. We know this because we have already had to deal with stranded and crashed vehicles in the last week as people were caught out by the weather and road conditions.”
“Preventing travel when the risk is at its highest also means less risk posed to emergency services that get called in to help when something goes wrong.”
“Closing down the highway overnight enabled our crews to work around the clock safely, to remove snow and de-ice, grit the roads, and then to lead vehicle convoys at controlled speeds through the affected stretch of highway to allow reopening.”
“Our crews have done some outstanding work on SH8 and other South Island highways over the last week to minimise the impacts on motorists and residents.”
More freezing temperatures are expected in the Mackenzie Basin this weekend, meaning the risk of icy roads again.
“We will be monitoring the situation closely to see if any further closures are needed,” Mr Pinner says.
Key considerations for winter driving include adjusting speeds to suit the conditions, being visible, increasing following distances on slippery roads and avoiding sudden braking or turning movements.
“Winter has only just begun and we know there will be plenty more weather events to deal with. If everyone plays their part, then it makes life easier for all of us.”
The best place to get the latest highway information and for planning ahead is NZTA’s Journey Planner.
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