West Coast and Alpine Passes state highway planned roadworks

Tuesday 2 February to Monday 9 February 2026

2 February 2026

Kia ora,

Welcome to the latest West Coast state highway planned roadworks update.

To stay updated on road conditions before you travel visit Journey planner

Below is current at 3pm on Monday 2 February

Waitangi weekend

A national moratorium on road works will be in place over the Waitangi weekend. This means no activity will take place during this period unless an exemption has been approved.
Any works currently noted as running until 9 February, or later, will pause for the duration of the Waitangi weekend moratorium and will resume after the weekend, unless noted otherwise.

SH6 Upper and Lower Buller Gorge

SH6 Lower Buller Gorge: Helicopter movements will take place on 4 February, followed by Ventia moving machinery on 5 and 9 February (no work over Waitangi Weekend). Stop/go traffic management will be in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and short delays expected.

SH6 Lower Buller Gorge: Slip clearing will take place from 3 to 9 February (no work on Waitangi Day). Stop/go traffic management will be in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and short delays expected.

SH6 Westport to Greymouth

SH6 Charleston to Barrytown: Night works to spray line markings will take place 6 to 9 February. Stop/go traffic management and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place. Expect delays of up to 10 minutes. This work will continue over Waitangi weekend.

SH6 Runanga: Work on the watermain is taking place until 9 February. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and delays of up to five minutes expected.

SH6 Greymouth to Franz Josef

SH6 North of Paroa: Pavement repairs will take place on 6 and 9 February. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and delays of up to five minutes expected.

SH6 Hokitika: Crews will be levelling service lids on the state highway until 9 February. Expect stop/go traffic management, 30km/h temporary speed limit and delays of up to five minutes. 

SH6 Hokitika: Pavement repairs will take place on 4 February. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and delays of up to 10 minutes expected.

SH6 Franz Josef: Resurfacing work will take place until 10 February. (No work over Waitangi weekend) Stop/go traffic management will be in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and delays of up to 10 minutes expected.

SH6 Franz Josef to Haast Pass

SH6 Pleasant Flat: Road stabilising and repairs are underway on weekdays until 9 February. (No work over Waitangi weekend) Stop/go traffic management and a 30km/h temporary speed limit is in place, with delays of up to 5 minutes expected.

SH7 Lewis Pass Waipara to Greymouth

SH7 Reefton to Maimai: A road rebuild following the culvert replacement is taking place around Tawhai until 9 February. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and short delays expected.

SH7 Stillwater to Greymouth: Night works to spray line markings will take place 4 and 5 February. Stop/go traffic management and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place. Expect delays of up to 10 minutes.

SH7 Ngahere: Resurfacing following repairs will take place 3 to 5 February. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and delays of up to 20 minutes expected.

SH73 Porters and Arthurs Pass

SH73 Arthurs Pass Village: Resealing work will take place on 3 February. Stop/go traffic management will be in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and delays of up to 20 minutes expected. Work will continue on 4 February with very minor delays expected.

SH73 Otira: Dropout repairs are underway weekdays until 9 February. (No work over Waitangi weekend). Stop/go traffic management and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit is in place. Expect short delays.

SH73 Dilmanstown to Kumara: Night works to spray line markings will take place 4 and 5 February. Stop/go traffic management and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place. Expect delays of up to 10 minutes.

SH73 Kumara: Crews will be installing driveways on weekdays until 9 February. (No work over Waitangi weekend). Stop/go traffic management is in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and delays of up to 5 minutes expected.

Other West Coast highways

SH69 Sinnamon Street Reefton: Crews will be preparing for a road rebuild from 3 to 9 February (no work over Waitangi weekend). Stop/go traffic management will be in place, with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and delays of up to five minutes expected.

SH8 Lindis Pass

No significant works scheduled for this week.

Planning around the weather on the West Coast

The West Coast of the South Island is known for its unpredictable and extreme weather, which makes long-term planning for road maintenance particularly challenging. While our teams monitor forecasts closely, they can only confirm work programmes about a week in advance with any real certainty and even then, plans may need to change at short notice.

Because this newsletter covers a large geographical area, it's important to note that weather conditions can vary significantly from one part of the Coast to another. Sudden changes are common, and they directly impact when and where our crews can operate.

To ensure a high-quality finish, road safety, and long-term resilience, our teams 'chase the good weather', taking advantage of favourable conditions whenever and wherever they occur. This flexible approach allows us to make the most of short weather windows and deliver the best possible outcomes for the network.

More information

For more information on the West Coast state highway maintenance programme, contact us at TheAlpinePassesMaintenance@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/sh-maintenance-programme/west-coast