The Government has confirmed the next phase of work to strengthen a vulnerable section of State Highway 6 on the West Coast, with plans to realign the highway inland at the site of the Epitaph Slip near Knights Point.
South Island and Associate Transport Minister James Meager said the project is part of a wider programme to improve resilience across key transport routes in the South Island, ensuring communities, freight operators and visitors can continue to travel safely.
The NZ Transport Agency has endorsed the investment case for the Epitaph Landslide Resilience Improvements project and approved 7 million dollars in funding to progress detailed design work, geotechnical investigations and consenting.
Meager said State Highway 6 is a strategic corridor linking the West Coast with Otago and Southland, supporting travel between Franz Josef, Fox Glacier, Wanaka, Queenstown and Milford Sound. The route is exposed to natural hazards including slips, rockfall and flooding.
To reduce the long term risk from the unstable cliff edge at the slip site, the preferred option involves shifting the highway inland, removing unstable material above the road and cutting the rockface to improve stability. A haul road will also be constructed to allow access for heavy machinery.
The estimated construction cost is between 102 million and 123 million dollars. The project will be considered for construction funding in the 2027 to 2030 National Land Transport Programme once design work is finished.
Meager said he visited the site earlier this year with West Coast MP Maureen Pugh and saw firsthand how important the project is for the region. He acknowledged Pugh and Westland Mayor Helen Lash for their long standing advocacy to secure a long term fix.
The work at the Epitaph Slip sits within a wider Government effort to improve the resilience of six priority roading corridors in the South Island. Alongside 13 point 4 million dollars already allocated for design and consenting, 12 million dollars has been committed to construction work at another corridor.
Meager said state highways are vital lifelines for communities and the Government is committed to progressing improvement projects that support regional growth, economic activity and reliable access.
The Epitaph Slip area has been under close monitoring for more than a decade following a large landslide in 2012 and further rockfall in 2024. The investment case examined construction options, environmental impacts, the needs of local communities and the resilience and economic benefits.
Technical information about the project and its next steps is available on the NZ Transport Agency website.
