Parking, Roads and Transport

Unique Initiative

The establishment in December 2000 of an organisation called Marlborough Roads makes Marlborough unique in that it is the only area of New Zealand where there is a single purpose office to manage both the State Highway and the district road networks.

State Highways

The Marlborough district has four state highways running through it:

SH 1 (Picton to Christchurch)
SH 6 (Blenheim to Nelson)
SH 63 (Renwick to the West Coast)
SH 62 (Rapaura Road)
SH 62 was added in July 2004 and connects Spring Creek on SH 1 to SH 6 north of Renwick.

These highways are administered by New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) through its Marlborough Roads office.

For State Highway road conditions call 0800-4-HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49).

District Roads

The other 1,500 km of roads in the district are owned by the Marlborough District Council and managed for Council by Marlborough Roads.

Remote Roads

Some 700 km of the council-owned road network is not sealed. These roads have low traffic flows - typically fewer than 100 vehicles per day. Most of the roads in the outer Marlborough Sounds and the more remote roads throughout the rest of the district are unsealed. These roads can become slippery during prolonged wet periods and require drivers to exercise extreme care at such times.

Some unsealed roads, especially in the Kenepuru area of the Marlborough Sounds, can be damaged by storms and are subject to closure, but it is rare for any road to be closed for more than one day.

Urban Areas

Urban streets and associated facilities (special paving, footpaths, roundabouts, etc) are also managed by Marlborough Roads.

The first stage of the Picton CBD upgrade is complete. Subsequent stages are proposed but not programmed.

Safety

Marlborough Roads carefully monitors road safety throughout the district and is continually undertaking minor safety improvements to enhance the roading network. Marlborough Roads also employs a Road Safety Coordinator who consults with various community groups and manages a range of community road safety projects.