High quality rock netting supplied free of charge by Solid Energy, is being used to secure rock near the Lyttelton Tunnel, damaged by the massive earthquake that hit the Canterbury region earlier this month.
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) says the job of putting the netting in place is underway and should be completed toward the middle of next week.
NZTA Canterbury Highways Operations Manager Peter Connors says the Agency is very grateful for Solid Energy’s generous offering of providing the netting free of charge, as part of their contribution to the Canterbury earthquake recovery effort.
“Initially the plan was to remove the rock and that would have taken longer and may have caused greater disruption for tunnel users, as well as nearby residents. Using the strong high quality netting is a more effective solution, enabling the rock to be secured more quickly and minimising disruption to road users. Another benefit of this approach is that there is no further disturbance of the rock face that could have occurred by removing material.
Mr Connors said the rock netting has already been successfully used by Solid Energy to prevent rockfalls at its Stockton Mine in the Buller District.
