Specialist teams are using explosives to trigger avalanches to try to reduce the risk for people driving to Milford Sound.
The alpine highway from Te Anau to Milford Sound had been closed at times over the last few days because of snow and the avalanche risk.
The Transport Agency said a specialist team had been using controlled explosives to release avalanches before they happened naturally.
The Milford Road Alliance manager Kevin Thomson said it also used monitoring equipment on the mountain to predict avalanches.
"The work the alliance does in this extreme environment around managing and maintaining the roading and Homer Tunnel assets, and including incident response, is critically important for this region and for New Zealand tourism in general," he said.
"The avalanche programme that we undertake each year is internationally recognised. We take very seriously the responsibility to keep visitors to Milford safe."
A specialist team used controlled explosives to release avalanches before they happened naturally. Photo: Supplied/NZTA
The Transport Agency said the avalanche danger saw the Milford Road closed all winter, until the late 1970s.
The avalanche control programme was established in 1983 to predict and manage risk from snow, ice and avalanches more effectively.
State Highway 94 between Hollyford Road Junction and the Donne River Bridge would shut at 5pm on Tuesday, with more snow forecast overnight.
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