West Coast and Alpine Passes state highway planned roadworks

Tuesday 16 December to Monday 22 December 2025

15 December 2025

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

The next newsletter will be issued on Monday 19 January.

Below is current at 12.30pm on Monday 15 December 2025

Roadworks over the Christmas and New Year

All roadworks will pause for the main holiday period, with contractors shutting down sites from midday Friday 19 December until Monday 5 January at the earliest.

As we head into the holiday season, we’re working hard to keep your journeys safe and smooth. While most major projects are wrapping up, you’ll still see some of our crews out on the roads repairing potholes and responding to incidents, helping make sure your travel is safe and enjoyable. Please give them space and patience so they can finish their work and get home to spend time with their families too.

SH6 Upper and Lower Buller Gorge

SH6 Upper Buller Gorge: Vegetation control will take place from Lyell to Inangahua during the day on 16 December. Expect stop/go with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit, and short delays.

SH6 Lower Buller Gorge: Bridge deck repairs will be underway between Inangahua and Westport on 16 December. A 30 km/h temporary speed limit will be in place with stop/go traffic management and delays of about 5 minutes.

SH6 Westport to Greymouth

SH6 Meybille Bay: Rock scaling will take place from 16 to 19 December. Expect stop/go with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit, and delays of up to 30 minutes.

SH6 11 Mile: Drop-out repairs will take place during the day from 16 to 19 December. Expect stop/go with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and short delays.

SH6 Cobden Hills: Watermain location work will take place on 16 and 17 December. Expect stop/go, a 30 km/h temporary speed limit, and delays of about 10 minutes.

SH6 Cobden Bridge Greymouth: Sign relocations will take place on 16 December. A lane shift will be in place with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit with no delays expected.

SH6 Greymouth to Franz Josef

SH6 Te Taho: A road reconstruction is underway and will continue through December 2025. Stop/go traffic management is in place, and you can expect short delays.

SH6 Franz Josef to Haast Pass

SH6 Franz Josef to Haast Pass: Crews will be undertaking vegetation control during the day between 16 and 19 December.  Look out for the pilot vehicles warning of the mobile operation ahead.  You can expect short delays until you can safely pass.

SH6 Pleasant Flat: Road stabilising and repairs are underway from 16 to 19 December. Stop/go traffic management and a temporary speed limit will be in place, with delays of up to 10 minutes

Crews will continue to clean up storm damage at various sites through the week. Expect stop/go traffic management, a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and short delays.

SH7 Lewis Pass Waipara to Greymouth

SH7 Hope River to Lewis Pass: Road, river, and slip repair works are taking place until 19 December. Stop/go traffic management will operate with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit, and short delays are expected.

SH7 Stony Creek Bridge: Deck repairs will take place on 16 and 17 December during the day. Stop/go traffic management will be in place with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and delays of about 5 minutes.

SH73 Porters and Arthurs Pass

SH73 Arthurs Pass: Drainage works will take place from 16 to 18 December. Expect stop/go with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and short delays.

SH73 Otira: Washout repairs are underway from 16 to 19 December with stop/go traffic management and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit in place. Expect delays of 5 to 10 minutes.

SH73 Mirror Corner: Repairs will take place from 17 to 19 December. Expect stop/go, a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and delays of about 10 minutes.

Other West Coast highways

SH67 Westport: Watermains work will take place from 16 to 19 December during the day. Stop/go traffic management will be in place with a 30 km/h temporary speed limit and delays of about 5 minutes.

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