Truckies obeying heavy vehicle ban
Truck drivers appear to be adhering to a temporary ban on heavy vehicles using the damaged Korere-Tophouse Rd near St Arnaud.
Tasman District Council transportation manager Jamie McPherson said he was not aware of any compliance issues with the ban, which is due to remain in place until December 20 at the latest.
A police spokesperson said officers were helping to monitor the situation. ‘‘There have been no significant issues at this point in time,’’ the spokesperson said. ‘‘We would remind people to obey the road closure and take alternate routes, and be considerate to other road users and workers.’’
The ban, which took effect on November 11, applies to heavy vehicles using Korere-Tophouse Rd as a through route only. Any truck travelling to or from properties or work sites along Korere-Tophouse Rd is exempt.
It came into force 10 days after a section of State Highway 6 was closed temporarily over the Whangamoa Saddle between Nelson and Blenheim.
Some detoured traffic had been using State Highway 63 and Korere-Tophouse Rd as a short cut instead of the recommended route via SH6 to Kawatiri Junction and SH63.
In a report for a meeting of the council’s regulatory committee last week, McPherson said Korere-Tophouse Rd was not designed for such high traffic volumes, and heavy vehicles had caused the ‘‘road surface to deteriorate and become unsafe for road users’’.
‘‘This risk was highlighted before ... SH6 was closed, and discussed between council and Waka Kotahi staff.’’
Council contractors had patrolled the route and tried to temporarily fix the damage, he said. ‘‘However, the rate of deterioration has exceeded predictions and the rate at which repairs can effectively be made.’’
Council staff worked with police, Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting NZ (formerly the Road Transport Forum New Zealand), Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and its own road maintenance contractor, Tasman Alliance, to put a ban in place under urgency to protect the road from excessive damage and to keep road users safe.
Members of the regulatory committee retrospectively approved the temporary ban at the meeting.
In his report, McPherson said Waka Kotahi had agreed in principle to cover the cost of damage to council roads caused by traffic diverted while SH6 was closed.
Meanwhile, users of another section of SH6 – at Dellows Bluff, near Murchison – can expect some delays from Monday, December 5, with work planned on the rock face at the site.
Waka Kotahi regional manager Mark Owen said the work would involve some blasting to remove unstable rocks and material from the cliff above the highway.
‘‘We need to remove this rock to reduce the risk we saw in July, when some huge boulders fell on to the road,’’ Owen said. ‘‘That’s a driving hazard no-one wants to see or tolerate.’’
The blasting meant the road would have to be closed for safety reasons, he said.
‘‘We can’t have traffic going through the works site while this is happening. But the work crews are making sure the closures will be short.’’
The work schedule includes a planned closure of the road between 6pm and 8pm each evening between December 5 and December 7. It is expected that the work will be completed within three nights. However, if required, the limited evening closures may extend to Friday, December 9.
Further work is also planned for an underslip about 150m from the rockfall site.
‘‘We know residents and regular users of SH6 are keen to see this section of road returned to two lanes as soon as possible,’’ Owen said. ‘‘Pile driving work has begun at the site this week, and is expected to go through until Christmas.’’