Work continues on SH7 at Omoto due to an historically active slip between Greymouth and Stillwater.
The SH7 Omoto landslide site between Stillwater and Greymouth continues to be monitored since it began to slip (following a long period of stability) in mid-August 2019. Work continues at the site to fully restore the road and long-term remediation is being planned to ensure resilience of the road and rail line connecting the West Coast.
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| Monday, 27 January 2020 | Long-term remediation work begins which involves installing 86 piles in two rows through the slip below the railway line, to support the road and rail above. This work is expected to be completed by April 2020, subject to favourable weather. While Omoto is an active work site, short travel delays could be possible. |
| Wednesday, 27 November 2019 | SH7 at Omoto opens to two-lane, two-way traffic and is temporarily surfaced. Permanent reconstruction of the road will take place in 2020, once stabilisation works at the Omoto landslide are complete. This section of SH7 at Omoto is an active work site with temporary traffic management and speed restriction applies. Short delays could be possible. |
| Thursday, 21 November 2019 | KiwiRail re-opens the section of line at Omoto allowing the TranzAlpine from Christchurch to Greymouth to fully resume operations. |
| Tuesday, 19 November 2019 | As a result of good progress on drilling work, SH7 at Omoto reopened to single lane traffic (with traffic management). Short delays can be expected. KiwiRail also reported good progress in restoring the rail link with the line expected to open earlier than anticipated. While the line is repaired in the short-term, long-term remediation is being planned to ensure resilience of the line. |
| Tuesday, 5 November 2019 | Following significant investigations, work commenced to drain water from the Omoto slip surface, while regular monitoring of ground movement continued. |
| Wednesday, 30 October 2019 | An advisory was released requesting traffic to slow down on the detour, particularly heavy trucks at the Coal Creek overbridge which has a 30 km/h speed limit. |
| Friday evening, 18 October 2019 | Heavy rain and ground saturation continued to cause more ground movement, requiring the detour to be reinstated. The detour added a few minutes to the overall journey between Greymouth and Reefton. |
| Tuesday, 15 October 2019 | Following stabilising work and ongoing ground movement monitoring, SH7 at Omoto reopened to single lane traffic with traffic control. |
| Wednesday, 9 October 2019 | Significant accelerated movement closed the section of SH7 at Omoto. A signposted detour was put in place on the north side of the Grey River, via Taylorville, with traffic being diverted at Stillwater and Cobden bridges. KiwiRail closed the line between Arthur's Pass and Greymouth and offered buses to TranzAlpine customers traveling to the West Coast. Freight deliveries were transferred onto the road. |
