MetService to supply road weather information to New Zealand road alliance

The Milford Road Alliance, a partnership between the New Zealand Transport Agency and Downer NZ to ensure the safe and efficient management of activities on State Highway 94, is to implement new and enhanced weather forecast services from MetService. Climbing through the Southern Alps, State Highway 94 is one of the highest highways in New Zealand. It includes the Milford Road which stretches from Te Anau through Fiordland National Park to Milford Sound and the high-altitude alpine conditions, a steep and r
May 9, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The Milford Road Alliance, a partnership between the 6296 New Zealand Transport Agency and Downer NZ to ensure the safe and efficient management of activities on State Highway 94, is to implement new and enhanced weather forecast services from MetService


Climbing through the Southern Alps, State Highway 94 is one of the highest highways in New Zealand. It includes the Milford Road which stretches from Te Anau through Fiordland National Park to Milford Sound and the high-altitude alpine conditions, a steep and rugged terrain that can be beset by floods and avalanches, can pose significant risks.

To keep the road safely open as much as possible, the Alliance operates specialised weather and environmental data acquisition devices at both road and mountain levels. Information from these systems is supplied to MetService forecasters to provide regular expert interpretation.

For the 2017 winter season, MetService is providing the Alliance with several new and enhanced forecast services, including severe weather threat matrices covering the threat of snow, strong winds, and heavy rain with free air freezing level (FAFL). In addition, animating rainfall, snow and cloud ceiling forecast maps are being provided.  Site-specific rainfall and temperature probability forecasts complete the picture in term of value-added forecast services, while significant improvements to the distribution and communication of data and forecasts have been made.

The new services complement those currently provided by MetService to the Alliance and are designed to assist informed decision-making about the management of the road at an operational level including mitigating the risks posed by avalanches.

Air Quality & Weather Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Danish tunnel gets Afry ITS system
    September 28, 2022
    Project is designed to reduce heavy goods vehicle traffic in centre of Copenhagen
    Read More
  • SPONSORED CONTENT: Using AI to achieve real traffic intelligence
    June 3, 2020
    The application of artificial intelligence has the potential to transform the performance of vision-based systems used for a wide and growing set of applications. These include vehicle presence detection and identification, count and classification, and enforcement, explains Roy Czinku of International Road Dynamics
    Read More
  • Integrated corridor management aids multi-modal transport planning
    January 24, 2012
    Telvent’s Jorgen Pedersen and Tip Franklin discuss how integrated corridor management can create synergies within a multimodal transportation infrastructure, while promoting modal shift. The mantra ‘We cannot build ourselves out of congestion’ has long been stated and too often ignored. But with the economy in dire straits, funding deficits and pressure to reduce governmental spending, this is now being taken seriously by almost everyone who has an interest in the flow of traffic. By ‘everyone’ we include
    Read More
  • Umovity: Revolutionising mobility through innovative technologies
    December 1, 2023
    United under the brand Umovity, PTV Group and Econolite join forces and introduce their new combined Mobility Tech Suite. The companies’ CEO Christian U. Haas explains the details
    Read More

Highlighted Content