Kaikōura mayor: 'The road is looking pretty good'

Road crews are putting the finishing touches on State Highway 1 north of Kaikōura ahead of its reopening this afternoon.

The South Island's main transport corridor connecting Picton and Christchurch was devastated in the 7.8 earthquake last November.

Sixty-nine bridges were damaged and parts of the rail line destroyed.

North of Kaikōura, 10 major slips brought down almost 1,000,000 cubic meters of rock onto the highway below.

At dawn this morning, about 100 people attended a service just north of the town.

"We couldn't have got a better morning," said Kaikōura mayor Winston Gray. "The sun came up over the sea ... and the road is looking pretty good."

The local runanga planted trees to commemorate the event, he said.

Mr Gray and Transport Minister Phil Twyford cut the ribbon ahead of the opening, due this afternoon.

Transport Agency earthquake recovery manager Tim Crow said crews working to rebuild the road faced significant challenges.

"It's all about working in the heat, the cold, it's long hours, it's being away from their families for extended periods.

"The team was so committed, they had the vision all locked in and they knew what they needed to do and got it done."

Mr Crow told Morning Report crews had built 2.5km of sea wall up to 10m high and three road debris bridges which allow material from avalanches to flow underneath.

The 144m Irongate Bridge took them 14 weeks to build "which is something pretty close to a record if you ask me".

The coastal route will be closed at night so seawalls can be finished and as a safety precaution, allowing geotechnical assessements will be carried out to check how slopes above the highway cope with rain.

Watch: Kaikōura residents reflect back on quake

Night-time road closure

Mr Crow said SH1 between Clarence and Mangamaunu north of Kaikōura, and Goose Bay and Peketa south of Kaikōura will shut from 8.30pm.

They will reopen at 7am once crews have completed a safety check.

Mr Crow said precautions were being taken to ensure travellers were aware of the night-time closures.

"Information is being shared by the ferries and i-SITEs, there is electronic road side signage and a checkpoint just south of Blenheim from 7pm to 6am.

"Road crews at the checkpoint will help people make the right travel choices for their journeys and prevent them getting stuck further down the coast at the closure zone."

Mr Crow said drivers needed to be alert and follow all signs and the instructions of road crews when using the route.

"The two areas that will be closed overnight are the most earthquake damaged areas, and there will also be some restrictions during the day. We ask people to please only stop in the designated stopping areas if they need to pull over - all other areas are out of bounds for safety reasons."

The Transport Agency is also reminding people not to plan to use the road any earlier than this afternoon. Road crews were working up until the last minute to get the route ready and moving trucks and equipment off site in the morning.

Traffic management will be in place at Hapuku to keep people safe while construction traffic comes in and out of the northern closure zone between Clarence and Mangamaunu.