A 35 metre long wall made out of around 70 steel piles is to be lowered in to the ground to stabilise the earth at the slip site on State Highway 36 Pyes Pa road.
Geotechnical engineers and maintenance crews have been monitoring the slip, which is off the road and down a bank, since it occurred on August 28th.
Traffic has been restricted to a single lane, culverts have been blocked off and an asphalt bund has been installed to prevent any more water entering the site while a long term solution was confirmed.
NZTA Bay of Plenty Transport System Manager, Jack Hansby, says some telecommunication cable relocation work has already taken place but the bulk of the work started this week.
“This work will involve lowering the 70 piles into the ground and adding a large storm water pipe to drain water away from the site.
“We are working as quickly as possible to keep the site safe and minimise inconvenience to road users but people can expect to experience some delays. There may be some closures later in the construction process and we will keep the community informed. People should register for journey alerts(external link), check the NZTA website(external link) or call 0800 44 44 49 before leaving for their journey. We’d like to thank people in advance for their understanding and patience,” Mr Hansby says.
The road will remain one lane with a temporary speed limit of 30km/h while the work is carried out. The work is expected to be completed early next year.
You can register for email alerts for your journey through State Highway 36 at: www.onthemove.govt.nz(external link)
For updates on state highway conditions go to: http://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/(external link) or call us on 0800 44 44 49
You can also check our Facebook and Twitter pages:
www.facebook.com/NZTAWaikatoBoP/(external link)
www.twitter.com/NZTAwaibop/(external link)
