17 March 2020, 3:57 AM
State Highway 94 to Milford Sound will reopen on Thursday (March 19) ending scheduled highway convoys and restrictions on types of vehicle and open/shut hours.
Transport Agency Journey Manager Peter Brown said a short stretch of highway on the east side of the Homer Tunnel from the Hollyford turnoff would have Stop/Go traffic management and single lane sections requiring care, but all vehicles would be able to use the road.
Mr Brown said that given the potential lack of overseas visitors with the current COVID-19 concerns, easy access to regional holiday places like Milford Sound was all the more important.
“Milford Sound and wider Fiordland are open and if people are planning their upcoming school holidays after 9 April or Easter break, they can factor this choice in,” he said.
“We thank the community for their patience and urge everyone to follow the Ministry of Health advice on how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.”
The highway will open at 8am Thursday. All vehicles will be able to use the highway, buses, private vehicles, campervans and vehicles towing boats.
“The construction zone area will be controlled by Stop/Go manual traffic management. With numbers of vehicles on the highway reducing much faster than we would normally anticipate at this time of the year, crews can continue to make progress and still allow safe access."
“This change will affect our ability to repair the road as quickly as we were, but at this time, allowing access is an overriding need for this community. We hope to continue the open access through winter.”
Mr Brown said that, as always, weather and emergency road maintenance would still dictate whether the road was open or not. People could check the web link ahead of time but, in general, the aim was to ensure the highway was open as much as it could be now and over the coming winter.
Existing system for today and Wednesday
The system which started this week – open overnight to all comers, 5 pm to 7.30 am, and convoys from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm, will continue today and tomorrow.
Convoys into Milford Sound
8:30 am East Gate (near Hollyford Rd intersection)
9:30 am East Gate
10:30 am East Gate
11:30 am East Gate
12:30 pm East Gate
1.30 pm East Gate
2.30 pm East Gate
3.30 pm East Gate
Convoys out of Milford Sound
9:00 am Monkey Creek
10:00 am Monkey Creek
11:00 am Monkey Creek
12:00 midday Monkey Creek
1.00 pm Monkey Creek
2.00 pm Monkey Creek
3.00 pm Monkey Creek
4.30 pm Monkey Creek
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