A winning combination of hard work, good weather, community input and a whole lot of patience, will see people who live on State Highway 2 north of Tangoio able to travel south to Napier to access necessary supplies and services tomorrow and Friday.
Helicopter sluicing works on State Highway 2 between Tangoio and Tūtira over the weekend
A winning combination of hard work, good weather, community input and a whole lot of patience, will see people who live on State Highway 2 north of Tangoio able to travel south to Napier to access necessary supplies and services tomorrow and Friday.
On Thursday and Friday this week, the road will be open from 7am to 7pm to residents, stock movements and essential vehicles only. Traffic management will be in place via a pilot/convoy system for the section between Aropaoanui Road and Waikoau Hill. People are asked to adhere to the 30km/h speed limit, follow the direction of traffic management staff and signs and prepare to be stopped at the gates to let other drivers through. Hastings District Council and their local road contractor will also be bringing in machinery to start repair work on local roads.
Waka Kotahi expects to provide an update on future arrangements for residents and stock movement access by the end of the day on Thursday.
The section of State Highway 2 between Tangoio and Tūtira has been closed after geotechnical surveys identified significant slip and rockfall risks, requiring helicopters to undertake sluicing to dislodge loose soil, boulders, rocks and trees at risk of falling on to the road.
Sluicing is a method used to ‘wash away’ loose material like large rocks and wood debris from slip sites that typically overhang the road corridor. Helicopters collect water in large buckets, fly to the site and release the water at the unstable slip sites. Crews then clean-up the material.
Regional Manager Maintenance and Operations, Jaclyn Hankin, says Waka Kotahi met with the Tutira community on Monday to discuss the challenges in restoring access, seek their feedback on how that might work and what the key priorities are for the people who live there.
"We know how difficult the closure has been for the Tūtira community, especially as we weren't sure how long it would take to restore their access. The community has also told us how important access for stock trucks is to support animal welfare.
"We're really thrilled that the sluicing work went so well over the weekend and we're able to facilitate access for residents, stock trucks and essential services this week."
However, says Ms Hankin, access for the general public is expected to take up to three months.
"The damage to this section of state highway has been significant. Our contractors are working across eight damaged sites, including two major dropouts, which will need to be repaired before we can safely reopen the road. There are also multiple sites where the soil is unstable and each one of those sites will need further investigation. We have also identified sites where guardrails have been taken out and shoulders have collapsed.
"There is still be a considerable amount of work that needs to be done to provide safe, reliable access between Wairoa and Napier, including on this section of highway."
