The reopening of State Highway 1 over the Brynderwyn Hills will be delayed by a number of weeks due to an active slip.
SH1 was due to fully reopen on May 13 but due to a slip at the site, NZ Transport Agency says this will no longer be possible.
Closures have been in place since February as NZTA teams carry out major repairs such as under and over-slips in the area caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.
The latest slip occurred last weekend at Kauri Tree Corner (zone F) on a slope teams were working to stabilise.
NZTA says there has continued to be movement in the hillside over the last couple of days, with a “substantial amount” of material falling on April 30.
NZTA says it’s undertaking further geotechnical assessments to determine the approach for stabilising the hillside based on the new slip “under urgency”.
“This must be fixed before the road can safely reopen to traffic. We understand this is not the news anyone wants to hear,” NZTA Infrastructure Delivery national manager Mark Kinvig says.
“Everyone wants the road opened as soon as possible, and we remain committed to completing these vital recovery works ahead of winter to ensure a safe and reliable SH1 Brynderwyn Hills as part of Cyclone Gabrielle recovery works.
“Our team is still in the early stages of assessing the best solution, and we will confirm more details as soon as we can. With the hillside still moving, safety of our team must be managed carefully. We appreciate how frustrating this is for everyone impacted by the closure and our crews, who have worked so hard to keep to schedule,” Kinvig says.
