A NZ Transport Agency and Downer partnership continues under the highly successful Milford Road Alliance, which manages a critical programme of work maintaining 120km of SH94 and the 1.2km Homer Tunnel within the protected Fiordland National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Area. The route is of national economic, tourism and environmental importance, and keeping this essential and complex road corridor safe and operational is of utmost importance.

The Alliance’s purpose is to ensure the area is safe and accessible for the approximately 900,000 visitors to Milford Sound each year. This popular route is susceptible to fires in summer and, in winter, slips, avalanches and snowfall.

As part of this contract, the Alliance manages the only public road Avalanche Control Programme in the southern hemisphere, for a 15km section of the Milford Road, which is exposed to some of the largest and most destructive avalanches in the world.

The Alliance’s highly technical and specialised maintenance delivery includes proactive management and maintenance of critical ITS and surveillance (weather stations, data repeaters, radio equipment, traffic signals and CCTV infrastructure), and the use of rockfall barriers, bespoke slope reinforcement solutions and sensor systems. These works require the use of helicopters to monitor slopes and boulders, for managing avalanche risks and to also build and maintain a variety of protective structures.

Management of the Homer Tunnel is complex as it is very remote and is an historic tunnel with one lane that provides the only vehicle access in and out of the Milford Sound area. Keeping this tunnel and road safe, and operational at all times, sees the Alliance acting as first responders to any emergency all year round 24/7.

Testament to the successful partnership between Downer and the NZ Transport Agency is the longevity of contract and relationship – the Alliance was formed in 2016 and remains one of the most successful highway management partnerships in the country. The team involved are all locally based in Te Anau with the Milford Road being a deeply personal commitment in terms of pride and workmanship for them. Downer has been involved in maintaining and managing the Milford Road since its construction in the 1940’s when Arnold Downer, one of our founders was heavily involved in the construction of the Homer Tunnel.

In 2023 the Alliance won the International Road Federation’s (IRF) 2023 Global Road Achievement Award for Programme Management. This international award recognises the best practice programming methods the Alliance has successfully and consistently implemented to ensure the ongoing resilience of this critical infrastructure.

“Being recognised at the Global Road Achievement Awards is incredible for us as a team – it recognises the hard work, passion, and specialist skills of our exemplary team.” Kevin Thompson, Milford Road Alliance Manager.