State Highway 7 to Greymouth from Stillwater and Kaiata remains closed due to a massive slip.
The slip started at Omoto, east of Greymouth, following weeks of wet weather in mid-August and has continued to move more than ten metres since.
The highway recently re-opened 24/7 to a single lane with traffic management before a further 2.5 metre slip closed it again last Friday night.
NZ Transport Agency maintenance contract manager Moira Whinham is warning people to keep clear of the area.
This includes local people who have been filming at the site and “are putting themselves in considerable danger” given its instability and liability to move suddenly, Whinham says.
“Prior to this current period of instability, the Omoto slip site has been relatively stable since the 1980s, and easily managed by highway crews with minimal disruptions for road users.
“We are concerned that people have been walking over the site over the weekend. This is a risky place while the slip is moving and people are putting their lives in danger if it was to drop suddenly, as it has done in recent days,” she says.
NZTA says it’s investigating a temporary fix while the permanent repair is worked through with geotechnical experts.
However, until the slip stops moving, short term solutions are not able to be put in place. Once that movement stops, temporary repairs will get underway.
The detour route passes through the small settlement of Taylorville adjacent to SH7 on the Grey River’s north bank.
KiwiRail operations executive general manager Siva Sivapakkiam says the rail line at Omoto will be repaired in the short-term once the slip settles and long-term remediation is being established.
In the meantime, the TranzAlpine will continue between Christchurch and Arthur’s Pass, with passengers bussed between there and Greymouth.
“However, we are also investigating whether or not the service could instead run as far as Moana if the line is not able to be fixed within a reasonable time frame,” Sivapakkiam says.
