In devastating news for Taranaki and our local economy, NZTA have announced SH3 north (through Awakino Gorge) will remain closed until Saturday 2nd May.
In a press release, NZTA says further assessments are underway following heavy rainfall over the weekend, which caused slips along this stretch of highway in north Taranaki. The road between Mōkau and Piopio has been closed since the weekend.
Since the slips, crews have been working to safely clear material from the road - the significant slip has seen roughly 12-16 thousand cubic metres of material come down the hill – the equivalent of almost 1,400 standard rubbish trucks.
Over the next 7-10 days, before the road is reopened, crews will excavate what’s called a ‘bench’ on the hillside to ensure any further slip material is caught by the bench. In addition, further geotechnical assessments are planned to inform what further earthwork is needed up the slope of the bench.
The hillside must be ‘benched’ before the remaining slip material can be cleared from the road – otherwise there’s a risk the hillside may continue to slide onto the road.
Regional Manager of Maintenance and Operations Rua Earle says complicating the recovery is the fact the hillside is incredibly sodden and it’s still moving – up to 1000 cubic metres of material came down just overnight.
“The hillside is 170 metres high and details such as the extent of the bench that crews are planning to excavate, are currently being finalised.
“In addition to the ‘benching,’ crews will get to the top of the hill as soon as they can do so safely, to assess the area for any further geotechnical and risk assessment of the slope,” says Rua Earle.
“Once the ‘benching’ and risk and geotechnical assessments are complete, crews can continue clearing the slip material from the road, before the road can safely be reopened.
“Because there is so much material on top of the road surface, crews will also need to assess and repair any damage to the road surface.”
At the same time as the main work on the significant slip continues, crews are working north and south of this slip to repair multiple minor slips under the road and clearing debris from above.
“This is an incredibly challenging time for communities who are restricted by the closure and today’s news will be frustrating. We wish we had better news, the safety of the workers is paramount as well as ensuring the road is opened as quickly as possible,” says Rua Earle.
While this section of SH3 is closed, NZTA are suggesting State Highway 4 can be used as an alternative route, adding hours to the journey north - particularly painful for local businesses transporting goods in and out of Taranaki.
