Work gets underway later this month to repair underslips on State Highway 35, north of Tikitiki (D9) and at Kemps Hill, north of Ruatoria.
The Transport Rebuild East Coast (TREC) alliance, on behalf of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), is completing this work alongside local contractors as part of the Cyclone Gabrielle recovery programme.
Work on both sites gets underway on Monday 28 April – after Easter and Anzac Day. The work will continue until late 2025.
During the work, traffic lights will be operating on both stretches of SH35 while construction is underway. Road users should expect delays and plan their journey.
Crews will be onsite Monday to Friday between 6am and 6pm.
Repairs at this site will include excavating the slips to level them before adding engineered fill (material) and geotextile fabric. This will be compacted into layers back up to road level. As part of the work a culvert will also be upgraded, which means traffic will need to shift from one side of the road to the other at times.
At Kemps Hill, between Ruatoria and Tikitiki, a willow wall will be constructed as a ‘living wall’ to stabilise the hillside. Three underslips will also be repaired.
The first 2 slips will be repaired first with work expected to be complete mid-year.
Crews will then complete repairs to the third underslip from mid-year.
Further south, at Kopuaroa, the team has completed two weeks of night works on one of the two active sites in the area.
To avoid potential delays, caused by challenging ground conditions, crews began nights shifts at Kopuaroa Slip 2, the first site at Kopuaroa when heading north.
Four crews worked 24/7 to keep the project on track.
Work in Kopuaroa is expected to be complete by mid 2025.
Please slow down, stay alert, especially when driving through the sites at night, and follow all instructions. Our local crews are there to keep everyone safe while travelling through the sites.
Thank you to all road users for your continued support and patience while the recovery work continues.
