Flood-hit highway closed following road damage

A Marlborough highway will need emergency repairs before Christmas, after heavy floodwaters damaged parts of the road.

The New Zealand Transport Agency closed State Highway 63 at Kowhai Point Camping Area, east of the Wash bridge, after the Wairau River flooded on Tuesday.

There was also a ‘‘soft’’ closure at Korere-tophouse Rd intersection, closer to St Arnaud, on the other side of the river which meant residents could get to their properties, but access to through traffic was denied.

State Highway 63 links Blenheim to St Arnaud and State Highway 6 at Kawatiri Junction.

Top of the south NZTA system manager Andrew James said several sections of the highway near the bridge were damaged. Once it reopened it would be down to one lane in some areas.

‘‘We will need to do some emergency repairs to the highway before Christmas,’’ James said.

‘‘The road has been badly damaged in a number of places as a result of the high velocity of the water during Tuesday’s torrential rain with floodwaters across the road. The water level is likely to remain high for most of Wednesday, restricting our ability to fully assess the damage or undertake any temporary or permanent repairs.’’

By yesterday afternoon the water level had dropped, but only slowly so the damage was still not able to be assessed, James said.

He could not confirm when the road would be reopened.

There would be a possible single lane opening late today – weather dependent, he said.

He said once the highway reopened, people should build in extra time for their journey over The Wash bridge until more permanent repairs can be done in coming days.