All highways reopen amid user complaints
The need to prioritise State Highway 8 clearing work and a mechanical issue have been cited as a reason for leaving a section, from Ruataniwha to Ō mā rama, ungraded yesterday morning.
The section of highway was open but covered in snow following Tuesday storm.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Jennifer McLean said the first priority for its contracting team was getting the Lindis Pass cleared and usable given it is an arterial route for freight trucks.
‘‘There were significant challenges clearing the Lindis Pass due to stuck vehicles which required additional input from our crews.
‘‘We also had a mechanical issue with a truck at 4am after re-filling grit for the team working through the night, which delayed our response time getting to this section of highway,’’ McLean said.
‘‘Extra resource (machinery/ people) was deployed to the area in anticipation of this event and the crews did their best in the freezing conditions, night and day.’’
The Timaru Herald received comments from two people who noticed the grading¯of snow off SH8, between Twizel and Omā rama, which was open for traffic, had stopped at the Ruataniwha bridge, the boundary between the Mackenzie and Waitaki districts.
‘‘Disbelief at how it’s managed, flabbergasted’’ was one commenter.
‘‘It’s mind-numbing at how the roads are managed like this’’ was another.
McLean said the route from Ruataniwha to Ō mā rama was ‘‘passable,’’ but required extreme care and an adherence by road users to drive to the conditions.
‘‘The boundary of the two contracting teams is at the Ruataniwha bridge, which is the reason the plowing would have finished at that point, as the South Canterbury team would have cleared to the end of their boundary and then gone back to address other areas of their network which needed more urgent attention (for example Twizel to Tekapo and Fairlie to Tekapo).
‘‘While the contracting teams do collaborate in events like this, each has competing demands within their own network, so road users should not expect that one end of a highway will be identically treated to the other end,’’ McLean said.
‘‘Weather and other factors can also affect the best laid plans and preparation and mean a fully uniform response is not practical or achievable.
‘‘Our crews have been working long hours in demanding conditions the past two or more days, something some members of the public are quick to lose sight of,’’ McLean said.
‘‘We thank all road users who bear this in mind when it is freezing, visibility is poor and potentially dangerous to be out driving.
‘‘We thank all those people who follow the advice available and do not attempt to get through high altitude passes when they are ill equipped to do so, then require help to get their vehicles off the road or get themselves to safety.’’
Waka Kotahi confirmed all the state highways had been reopened by late yesterday afternoon.