Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency highway crews are closely monitoring and managing a potentially significant slip at Cromwell near the intersection of SH8 and SH8B.
People travelling between Clyde or Alexandra and Cromwell need to leave early today to avoid an overnight closure and build in extra time, says Waka Kotahi Maintenance Contract Manager Mark Stewart.
“Anyone who is travelling to Clyde or Alexandra or back to Cromwell today should go this afternoon and not wait for tonight. We may need to close this highway overnight from 5 pm for everyone’s safety. We will also have short delays this afternoon if we are sluicing.”
Waka Kotahi crews have reduced SH8 to a single lane using Stop/ Go manual traffic management, for about 100 metres in both directions from the junction with SH8B.
The slip, around 30 metres above the highway, is estimated at about 30 metres long, 20 metres wide, 15 metres deep. It was noticed moving relatively slowly but steadily earlier today and the highway reduced to single lane as a result, says Mr Stewart. The geotechnical advisors are currently on site deciding the best strategy to make the road safe.
“We are planning to sluice the site once weather allows using a chopper. Currently it is foggy so once that fog clears, we will get on with that. Traffic crews will temporarily close the highway while any sluicing is underway for everyone’s safety.
“A split in the land has developed above the highway and has destabilised the material underneath it,” he says. “We thank people for building in extra time if they are travelling south on SH8 through the Cromwell Gorge, towards Clyde and Alexandra and to bear in mind the highway could be closed overnight. We will confirm that closure mid-afternoon.”
The top of the slip site near a farming access track and power line. The highway is below this moving mass of material.
The location of the slip site:
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