Good progress is being reported in the rebuild of both the existing State Highway 1 and rail corridor along the coastal route north and south of Kaikoura.
The works, which are being undertaken by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and KiwiRail, received a significant boost with the mid-December Cabinet announcement the Crown would provide the estimated $1.4 billion to $2 billion funding required.
An Order in Council subsequently signed by Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy modified provisions of the Resource Management Act and nine other pieces of legislation, in order to streamline the works.
Including additional improvements to increase safety and resilience, the project is expected to have at least delivered limited coastal route access by the end of 2017.
On Wednesday this week, KiwiRail network services group general manager Todd Moyle announced a significant section of the Main North Line had been reinstated, with the track from Picton to Grassmere repaired and designs for six bridges on the route near completion.
In the most recent development on the roading works, NZTA earthquake recovery manager Steve Mutton also announced on Wednesday that State Highway 1 was to be closed from Hundalee to Kaikoura on January 16-17 to enable sluicing of slips above the road.
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