Ballance Valley Road/Gorge Road has reopened, 3 weeks after heavy flooding damaged Bremner’s Bridge.
The stormy weather, heavy and persistent rainfall caused damage to the bridge and blocked culverts and drains on other parts of Ballance Valley Road/Gorge Road in Manawatū.
The bridge structure was undamaged and remains structurally safe, however it was the approaches at either end of the bridge which suffered from washouts.
Contractors have excavated under the approaches, built them back with aggregate and installed rock walls and geo grid matting to stablise the land under the road. 600 tonnes of rock have been used in the new rock walls.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi System Manager for Manawatū-Whanganui and Taranaki, Liesl Dawson, says crews have worked really hard to get the road back open as quickly as possible.
“The flooding caused significant damage to the approaches to the bridge, so to get the work done this quickly is testament to the hard work put in by those onsite.
“The crews have also spent the past 3 weeks unblocking culverts and drains following the flooding, and installing 2 new sumps and additional pipework. The drainage work is crucial to making this a more resilient route for all road users.
“Ballance Valley Road is an important connection between Pahiatua Track and the old Gorge Road. We know the closure has been frustrating for people who regularly use the road as a connection between Manawatū and Tararua. We appreciate people’s support over the past 3 weeks while this work has been carried out.
“If you’re driving the road, please be mindful crews will still be in the area, and there’s likely to be stop/go traffic management and a temporary lower speed limit in place while work nearby, like damaged pavements, is finished,” says Ms Dawson.
“Please drive to the conditions.”
