People travelling between Otira and Arthur’s Pass this week can expect delays due to essential safety projects.

The SH73 link between Canterbury and the West Coast, will face wait times of up to 20 minutes as tree trimming and bridge inspections will be carried out from 8am – 5pm through until Friday 15 September.

Moira Whinham, maintenance contract manager for Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency on the West Coast, said dead or damaged trees, which are liable to fall on the highway, will be felled or trimmed on Monday, Thursday and Friday. 

“On Tuesday and Wednesday, bridge inspectors will be checking four bridges between the two alpine settlements, also requiring stops for traffic,” Whinham said.

“Given the narrowness of this stretch of SH73 in the Otira gorge, we will pause traffic on each side of these sites during the daytime,” she said. “The trees need to be felled or trimmed when there is no road traffic nearby. They can then be quickly removed onto the road reserve to break down naturally as requested by the Department of Conservation/Te Papa Atawhai.”

“The same will apply to our bridge inspection work, with traffic paused each side while engineers are assessing bridge decks and foundations,” Whinham added.