Guy said the aftermath of cyclones Debbie and Cook was still evident in the region, with several slips having worsened due to the deluge.
Works, costing up to $1.33 billion, are on track to have the road open by the end of the year.
"The earthquake hit Kaikoura's tourism business hard - half of its hotels, motels, backpackers and holiday parks were closed in December 2016," he said.
He expects reopening the road to tourists will be "incredibly exciting" for the town.
New $5m support package
The Government today also pledged $5 million to support the primary sector's recovery.
The announcement of the fund, which will be distributed over the next three years, was timed to coincide with the sixth-month anniversary of the 7.8 magnitude quake which shook the country awake on November 14.
Guy launched the new Earthquake Recovery Fund in front of a receptive 50-strong audience made up of those from the local farming community who gathered in a north Canterbury woodshed to hear the new Minister out.
Guy anticipated the fund would be used to support projects investigating long-term land use and restoration.
In addition Science and Innovation Minister Paul Goldsmith committed $1.2 million toward research and earthquake recovery.
"Science helps us to understand what happened during this earthquake, how we rebuild and how re respond to future events," he said.
It will fund continued landslide assessments, new hazard models incorporating slow slip earthquake sand land deformation, and subsoil assessments in Wellington.
Guy was expected to make a number of other stops on his one-day trip, as well as meeting with Kaikoura Mayor Winston Grey.
