Expect more SH1 closures
The recent shutdown of the reopened State Highway 1 north of Kaiko¯ura due to bad weather will not be an isolated incident, the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) says.
The roading authority has stressed the site remains an active construction zone and motorists should expect more weatherrelated closures throughout the year, similar to the section of the highway south of Kaiko¯ura.
When State Highway 1 south of Kaiko¯ura opened in April last year, the road faced similar weather-related closures and the section was also shut once again on Friday.
A NZTA spokeswoman said the high rainfall meant additional checks to ensure road safety.
‘‘Rain of more than 50 millimetres over a short period of time will trigger geotechnical checks until that [repair] work is completed in the coming months,’’ she said.
Road crews would return to the highway next week to finish repairing damaged sections from the November 2016 earthquake.
‘‘In general, people can expect weather-related closures on State Highway 1 either side of Kaiko¯ura until the places which are vulnerable, like the site with the retaining wall at Waipapa Bay and Rosy Morn slip site on the south side, get a more permanent treatment,’’ the spokeswoman said.
The quake-damaged coastal highway was closed from the north and south of Kaiko¯ura on Friday following surface flooding and minor rockfall but it was reopened on Saturday morning after the bad weather cleared.
KiwiRail was also forced to suspend train services from Picton to Christchurch on Friday due to the bad weather.
KiwiRail general manager for network services Todd Moyle said the company hoped to expand on existing freight levels later this year. ‘‘We will be looking to introduce further capacity on the Main North Line throughout 2018 as the repair works are advanced, returning to the pre-earthquake level of four return services a day.
‘‘Two return freight services have been running at night, up to six nights per week. This has enabled us to deliver to our customers’ requirements while work has continued on the road and rail networks during the day,’’ Moyle said.
KiwiRail began running limited services on the Main North Line on September 15 last year, ten months after the magnitude-7.8 earthquake.
Moyle said by December 31 last year, KiwiRail moved more than 89,000 tonnes of freight on the newly reopened line, which was equivalent to about 6300 truck journeys. KiwiRail also planned to resume Coastal Pacific passenger train services in the second half of this year, Moyle said.
North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR) journey manager Tresca Forrester said motorists should expect further delays from January 8 as repair work on the highway would be ramped up again following the holiday season.
‘‘The work we will be doing within the first few months will be aimed at completing the recovery and resilience works and we expect that to go until March or April. ‘‘Once that’s completed then we will start the $231 million improvement package,’’ Forrester said.
The improvements included widening shoulders, additional safety barriers, a separated cycle/ walkway and enhanced stopping areas to support tourism.