Weld Pass night closures rescheduled

Marlborough App

Planned night closures for the Wel Pass have been rescheduled. Photo: Waka Katohi/Supplied

Changes have been made to the work schedule and planned night closures for the Weld Pass maintenance night works.

Previously planned night closures for Friday, 7 February, and Saturday 8 February will no longer proceed. State Highway 1 will be open through Weld Pass on these nights.

Revised Schedule:

  • Night works - Wednesday, 29 January to Thursday, 13 February, 7 pm to 5 am.
  • No work on the nights of Thursday, 6 February, Friday, 7 February, and Saturday, 8 February

Weather permitting, all work for State Highway 1 Weld Pass is due to be finished and the highway fully open by 5 am on Friday, 14 February.

Contractors will be carrying out structural asphalt work to strengthen the road surface on a 500m section of Weld Pass.

This will include milling, or removing the old surface, before adding new layers. They will also maximise the closure by carrying out other maintenance work including clearing drainage and attending to signage and vegetation.

Because Weld Pass is a narrow road with limited space and the machinery being used occupies a lot of space, it must be closed to all traffic while the work is completed.

The full closure is safer for road crews and the public and will allow the work to be finished much faster, reducing the overall impact on road users

The closure will create delays for people travelling between Blenheim and Christchurch as there are no suitable local road detours.

The only alternative route between Christchurch and Blenheim is the inland route – Lewis Pass, Murchsion, St Arnaud – this is a much longer route and drivers, especially those with Picton ferry connections, must factor the  night closures into their travel plans.

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