7 September 2021
A machine similar to the jaws of life that fire crews use to cut people from vehicles involved in crashes is being used to keep people safe travelling through Nevis Bluff on State Highway 6 (SH6), halfway between Cromwell and Queenstown.
Opened in 1867 during the Otago gold rush, Nevis Bluff has a rock face rising up to 160m above the Kawarau River and is an important route for tourism and transporting goods.
It’s inspected monthly to make sure people driving past are kept safe and the road stays open. Pre-COVID, an average 5400 vehicles used this route each day – 8.7% of which were heavy vehicles.
In June 2021 a new technique was used to remove rock from Nevis Bluff.
This technique, which was also used along the Kaikōura coast after its massive earthquake, removes loose rock using a machine similar to the jaws of life fire crews use. This machine pries open cracks and air bags are placed in these holes. When the air bags are inflated, they create pressure which breaks rocks off of the cliff face.
Across the bluff, loose rock ranging from grain and pebble-sized pieces to small boulders were removed.
This approach minimises disruption for people passing by, since the road only needs to be closed for 10-minutes at a time. The blasting techniques previously used could close the road for up to 60-minutes at a time.
Watch the maintenance crew in action:
As part of the 2021–24 National Land Transport Programme more than $695 million will be invested maintaining roads and improving safety in the Ōtākou/Murihiku | Otago/Southland region.
2021–24 NLTP Ōtākou/Murihiku | Otago/Southland regional summary
