Ice, ice baby – Dunedin residents urged to take care

Dunedin commuters are being urged to take care on the roads over the next few days, as snow turning to ice is expected to create more treacherous driving conditions in the mornings.

Following today’s snow dump in Dunedin, the MetService is now forecasting frosty conditions for the next two mornings (Wednesday and Thursday) as temperatures remain in single digits throughout both days.

DCC Transport Group Manager Jeanine Benson says, “We’ll continue to have contractors out overnight, monitoring conditions and responding as needed, including sweeping snow, spreading grit and applying CMA to potential trouble spots.

“Drivers also need to do their part by avoiding unnecessary travel and, if you do need to be on the roads, allowing extra time, driving carefully and to the conditions, and to keep a close eye out for shaded areas, frost and ice, including black ice. We also encourage pedestrians, cyclists and other road users to exercise the same caution.”

The cold snap arrived overnight and delivered a blanket of snow for Dunedin this morning, making driving difficult and disrupting morning commutes, school runs, and some DCC services, as well as buses and schools.

Blueskin Road and Mount Cargill Road have since reopened after being closed due to snow, while Three Mile Hill Road remains closed for now.

State Highway 1 (Dunedin to Waitati) was closed by the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi for a time this morning, but has also since reopened, while SH87 to Middlemarch remains closed.

Some vehicles had to be left roadside in Dunedin due to the conditions, and kerbside collection services, some DCC facilities (including the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, and Lan Yuan Dunedin Chinese Garden and the city’s sportsgrounds and libraries) all faced disruptions.

Kerbside collections scheduled for today are now expected to be run on Saturday instead.

Due to the forecast overnight temperatures and the likelihood of icy road conditions, Moana Pool and Te Puna o Whakaehu will have a delayed opening Wednesday morning. Those facilities will now open at 10am, allowing time for road conditions to be assessed and to help ensure the safety of staff and customers travelling to the pool. Please keep an eye on the Dunedin Pools Facebook page Wednesday morning for any further updates if conditions change.

More information:

Road conditions and closures - DCC road conditions page
State highway updates - NZ Transport Agency page
Bus services - Orbus website

Winter is here!

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