Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency says it’s “gearing up” to start work repairing the slip-damaged Kōpū-Hikuai Rd, and could have initial information on its restoration next week.
A huge slip collapsed a large section of State Highway 25A near the summit over Anniversary weekend after around 1.5 metres of rain fell during January storms.
Waka Kotahi regional transport systems manager Cara Lauder said she expected to have initial information on the next steps in the repair and restoration of SH25A to share with the public and stakeholders next week.
“We know how vital this transport link is for the region, and we understand that people are hungry for information and want to know when the road could potentially re-open,” she said.
“We’re committed to sharing information as soon as we have more certainty on the way forward, and Waka Kotahi will engage with the public and stakeholders throughout the process of investigation, design and construction of a solution to re-establish a safe and resilient SH25A route for the region.”
In order to start work on site as soon as conditions permit safe access, Waka Kotahi said it had begun engaging specialist contractors and geotechnical engineers, as well as local maintenance contractors who will clear material and develop a safe temporary access track to allow people and machinery to access the site.
Initial on-site work is likely to include drilling boreholes and excavating test pits to understand the strength and stability of the underlying foundation at the site and in the surrounding area.
Ms Lauder said the damage to the road was significant, and the repair “will be a huge piece of work”.
“Waka Kotahi is gearing up now so we’ll be ready to take action as soon as the storm has passed. Our immediate priority is still the emergency response, and the site is still extremely wet and highly unstable,” she said.
“As soon as the weather eases, the ground stops moving and it’s safe for our contractors to get back on site, we’ll carry out a thorough geotechnical investigation which will give us the information we need to determine the best long-term fix for the site.”
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