The highway between Murchison and Westport through the Upper Buller Gorge is still closed after heavy rain caused a slip at Lyell, which blocked the road.
It is hoped the slip will be cleared so that motorists can use it in daytime hours as soon as it is safe. Photo: Supplied / Waka Kotahi
Waka Kotahi maintenance contract manager on the West Coast Moira Whinham said a section of State Highway 6 has been closed since Sunday.
"The slip continues to be highly active with ongoing wet weather. We have maintenance crews working on site to clear and monitor the slip and will reopen the highway to single lane traffic as soon as it is safe to do so," Whinham said.
A detour to Westport is in place via Springs Junction, Reefton and Inangahua.
The conditions will be assessed again on Friday morning with an update provided at midday.
Photo: Supplied / Waka Kotahi
Once the road reopens, traffic will be restricted to daylight hours, 8am to 5pm, to allow NZTA to monitor slip activity over the day.
"We may need to maintain this schedule for a week or so until slip activity has decreased."
Once the daytime openings are confirmed, overnight drivers in and out of Westport will need to use the detour route through the Shenandoah and the Lewis Pass. The detour is the way to access Westport from the north and east in the meantime.