Running between Greymouth and Westport, State Highway 6 runs along a scenic albeit exposed stretch of the South Island coastline. The contractors responsible for maintenance on SH6, Fulton Hogan and sub-contractors MBD Contracting, are on alert at present, as a tropical cyclone is scheduled to make landfall today.
It’s actually the second tropical storm in the month. In early February Cyclone Fehi hit the West Coast hard, causing serious storm damage. Staff member Tracey Asher was on holiday at the time, and recorded some of the impact.
Here’s a short clip Tracey filmed near Punakaiki. Mel Quinn from MSD Contracting is the driver tilting the load of boulders onto the damaged section of road.
We can assure that the intrepid Tracey is back in the office, designing March’s Contractor. Look out for more photos of the storm damage in March’s issue.