All sections of State Highway 6 on the West Coast are due to open tonight after a concerted effort by NZTA Waka Kotahi crews.
SH6 between Fox and Franz Josef was due to be closed until Monday but roading crews have established a temporary fix, allowing traffic to pass over the damaged Smithy's Creek bridge from 6pm tonight.
The road will remain open throughout the night, subject to weather conditions.
An NZTA spokesperson advised travellers could still expect delays of up to 30 minutes.
Mark Pinner, the system manager for NZTA, Canterbury and the West Coast, said crews started the temporary repair as soon as rain abated earlier today and with the creek level dropping, they were able to better assess what needed to be done.
"In this case we were lucky, the damage caused was not as bad as we had feared when the creek was overtopping the area. A rock bench under the road has meant the scour of the approach was not as severe as originally anticipated, and we have been able to get a single lane, temporary road through today."
Pinner said the crew will be on site on Saturday and back to Smithy's Creek on Monday to begin a more permanent fix.
In an update about 10am, Emergency Management Southland (EMS) said a few rivers and streams in the region were still tracking upward as overnight rain made its way down the channels, "but there is very little rain coming in the next few days so they should settle down over the weekend".
It said all heavy rain warnings for the area had been lifted.
EMS yesterday activated its Emergency Coordination Centre to monitor and prepare for any impacts of the heavy rain.
Otago Regional Council science manager Tom Dyer yesterday said that although the forecast rain for Otago had not been as intense as expected, river flows were still rising and localised flooding was still possible across parts of Otago today, such as the low-lying areas around Balclutha, the lower Clutha delta and low-lying paddocks bounding the Pomahaka River.
"Rain into the upper Clutha catchment will take some time to reach Balclutha, which is estimated to peak about 6am on Saturday.
"There could be flooding of areas near riverbanks, but well within the capacity of the floodbanked parts of the Lower Clutha Flood Protection and Drainage Scheme," he said.
Slightly less rain was expected for Central Otago, Dunedin and North Otago areas compared with the Clutha catchment, he said.
"If people live or work close to a river or area that regularly floods, they should take any usual precautions, such as monitoring stock.
"Caution should also be exercised while driving, as slips and other hazards are likely."
All highways were open in the South, but State Highway 6 remains closed in several places on the West Coast until 6pm.
The Lower Hollyford Road reopened early on Friday afternoon after flood damage repairs were made.
MetService this morning said the worst of the weather was now tracking north, and the forecaster lifted all its severe weather warnings for the South.
At 10.45am there was a slew of warnings in place for the North island, and two for the top of the South Island.
Civil Defence controller Lucy Hicks said rainfall models predicted river flows across Southland were not expected to cause any major issues.
"However, if rainfall exceeds predicted levels, this may change.
"While the rivers are yet to really respond to the rainfall, surface flooding may also still cause some challenges across the roading network.
"We encourage everyone to take care on the roads when driving around the region and to avoid driving through any surface flooding if you come across it."
Conditions improving
An improving weather and roading picture was emerging for South Westland’s State Highway 6, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said on Friday morning.
In an update about 10am NZTA said the northern section of SH6 between Ross and Franz Josef would be open by 2pm. Trees and slips were being cleaned up to allow for the reopening.
The road remained washed out between Franz Josef township and Fox Glacier but is due to reopen at 6pm.
The sections of highway from Haast to Makarora and Haast to Fox Glacier have both reopened.
