Michael Ferguson,Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
After extensive work to secure the safety of the Tasman Highway at Paradise Gorge, I'm pleased to announce that it will reopen to all traffic from 7am on Thursday 8 July, with a reduced speed limit and under traffic management.
Work on clearing the road progressed extremely well over the weekend, with all the rocks, debris and gravel now removed allowing us to reopen the Highway well ahead of the expected reopening date of mid-July.
A speed limit of 40km/h will be in place along a 300m length of the Highway and motorists will be asked to use one lane, while the remaining work is undertaken under traffic management.
Investigations have shown that most of the damage to the road is limited to the road surface without affecting the road base, meaning the road repairs required are not extensive.
The remaining work is expected to take approximately six weeks, meaning traffic management arrangements will stay in place during that time.
Work will continue tomorrow and Wednesday on clearing the site, doing minor road repairs, removing some vegetation, planting appropriate small vegetation on the lower slope and preparing for installation of mesh on the rockface.
While the road is open under traffic management, the mesh fence will be installed on the rockface, and the stone retaining wall will be repaired, and finally, the road will be resurfaced.
Road users should plan for delays of around 10 minutes as a result of the traffic management.
I thank the community for their understanding during this road closure and for their continued understanding of the delays while the road is open under traffic management, along with everyone that has worked around the clock to get the road reopened and for those working on Wielangta Road and Lake Leake Road to ensure they remained safe alternatives.
I also thank Mayor Robert Young and the Council for their professionalism and efforts, working with us and keeping the community informed and safe.
In the meantime, road users are reminded to drive to the conditions on Wielangta Road and Lake Leake Road and comply with the speed limits for everyone's safety. We will continue to monitor and maintain these roads while we work on the Tasman Highway at Paradise Gorge. If you encounter potential hazards on these roads, please report them to the State Roads 24/7 hotline on 1300 139 933.
