Crown Range closed this week
The alpine pass between Queenstown and Wānaka will be closed this week while contractors clear slips brought down by heavy rainfall n September and October.
Crown Range Road will be closed between State Highway 6, near Queenstown, to just south of Cardrona township from Monday to Friday, 25-29 November, 8am-4pm.
The road will be open outside of these hours for early morning / late afternoon commuters and other travellers, while resident access will provided every hour on the hour.
“Crews can safely resolve most of the issues up there without much disruption to motorists, but one slip on the zig zags just up from SH6 will require more significant work to clear it and ensure the safety of those driving this route,” Queenstown Lakes District Council's infrastructure ops manager Simon Mason says.
“We’ve assessed a range of methods to tackle repair works and determined that while closing the Crown Range will be disruptive, it’s the safest and quickest way to clear loose material up there and secure the route for future users.”
A detour is available via Kawarau Gorge, although NZTA Waka Kotahi has multiple worksites there, so there could be delays.
The road between Wānaka and Cardrona township will remain open as normal and they'll be access for emergency vehicles along the whole road at all times.
The week of closures will also provide an opportunity for a thorough inspection and maintenance, including sweeping / cleaning, pavement work, fixing minor potholes and edge breaks, and checking signage.
From Monday to Friday, 2-6 December, 8am-4pm, work to clear some of the smaller slips will be completed, with one lane closed and stop / go in operation.
