State Highway 6 | ||||
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Route information | ||||
Maintained by NZ Transport Agency | ||||
Length | 1,162 km (722 mi) | |||
Tourist routes | Southern Scenic Route between Invercargill-Lorneville and Five Rivers-Queenstown (as of 2010) | |||
Major junctions | ||||
North end | SH 1 (Grove Road/Sinclair Street) at Blenheim | |||
SH 7 (Omoto Road) at Greymouth SH 8A (Shortcut Road) to SH 8 at Luggate SH 8B to SH 8 at Cromwell | ||||
South end | SH 1 (Tay Street/Clyde Street) at Invercargill | |||
Location | ||||
Country | New Zealand | |||
Primary destinations | Nelson, Murchison, Inangahua Junction, Runanga, Greymouth, Hokitika, Haast, Wānaka, Cromwell, Queenstown, Lumsden, Winton | |||
Highway system | ||||
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State Highway 6 (SH 6) is a major New Zealand state highway. It extends from the Marlborough region in the northeastern corner of the South Island across the top of the island, then down the length of the island, initially along the West Coast and then across the Southern Alps through inland Otago and finally across the Southland Plains to the island's south coast. Distances are measured from north to south.
The highway is the longest single highway in the country, though it is shorter than the combined totals of the two highways that comprise SH 1, SHs 1N and 1S.
For most of its length SH6 is a two-lane single carriageway, except for 5.4 km of dual carriageway in Invercargill, and passing lanes in Invercargill and Nelson, with at-grade intersections and property accesses, both in rural and urban areas. Roundabouts are common in major towns, with traffic signals only found in Invercargill, Queenstown, Richmond, and Tāhunanui with signals also controlling Iron Bridge in the upper Buller Gorge, Fern Arch in the lower Buller Gorge near Westport, and the Albert Town Bridge over the Clutha River near Albert Town. NZTA classified the highway as an arterial route, except for two sections between Blenheim (SH 1) and Richmond (SH 60) and between Cromwell (SH 8B) and Five Rivers (SH 97) where SH 6 is classified as a regional strategic route.[1]