Work has begun on one of the last recovery projects in the White Pine Bush area on State Highway 2 between Napier and Wairoa.
Transport Rebuild East Coast (TREC) alliance crews, on behalf of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, have been working to restore access through the area after Cyclone Gabrielle caused extensive damage to the road and numerous sites alongside it.
Crews have started work just south of White Pine Bush above Tangoio Falls Reserve.
There, Cyclone Gabrielle damaged two retaining walls on the steep slope: a small timber crib wall and a mortared rock wall. During the next few weeks, crews will be stabilising sections of the retaining walls with ground anchors and shotcrete.
Much of this work will be done by workers abseiling, using the guardrails to abseil down to the site beneath the road. This site will be down to a single lane under a short stop/go until the work is finished, with the aim to have it back to two lanes for this Christmas.
Crews have been working at a large retaining wall job since March this year. This new wall consists of 220 ground anchors and will be sprayed with concrete once testing is completed. This is expected to be finished before Christmas this year.
Watch this video for more information about this site:
Two-lane access was recently restored at another site, just north of the White Pine Bush carpark entrance.
There, Cyclone Gabrielle floodwaters had scoured away the ground under the road shoulder, undermining the outside lane. The repair was a retaining wall and rock rip rap to stabilise the ground.
With the site down to one lane while the repair was underway, TREC took the opportunity to work at nights to speed up delivery.
The local contractors all had the capacity and people to work both day and night shifts. From start to finish, the wall was built in a month, halving the expected timeframe.
TREC Hawke’s Bay Project Manager Chris Mahoney says work through the White Pine Bush section means this stretch of road is still down to one-lane.
“We know it’s frustrating seeing those traffic lights, and having to wait. We know it’s been a frustrating time on this stretch of road since the cyclone and we want to reassure people we are working to restore two-lane access as quickly as possible through this area of State Highway 2.
“It’s a priority to ensure disruption is minimised for vital sectors like farming, horticulture and tourism, to connect with local and export markets.
“We are grateful to communities for their support, crews for their hard work and road users for their understanding. We know it hasn’t been easy with so many worksites in operation and we do want to reiterate our thanks to people for their patience,” says Mr Mahoney.
Attached is a map of the worksites at White Pine Bush, Tangoio Falls Reserve Underslip infographic and a before and after of the repair at White Pine Bush North.
