Part of State Highway 1 in the Far North, which has since been closed August after heavy rainis much more damaged than the first reviews showed.
There is no timeline of when it will reopen.
Vehicle only/delivered
Heavy rain on August 18 and 19 damaged sections of State Highway 1 and 10 in Northland, forcing closure.
SH1 has been closed at Mangamuka Gorge, just south of Kaitaiaas heavy rain on August 18 and 19 caused a series of briefs.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Regional System Design Manager Randhir Karma said geotechnical surveys had been completed at 16 slip sites and while information was currently being analysed, the Mangamuka Gorge faced a long-term problem with resilience.
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He said the recent skids were much worse than damage caused by bad weather in June 2020.
“Due to the weather in 2020, two slips were big enough to keep the road closed for almost a year,” Karma said.
“There are now at least five slips of similar or greater size and severity, despite the underlying repair work we did after the 2020 event held up well.”
Geotechnical assessments of secondary sites would continue, to help Waka Kotahi gain a clearer picture of the full extent of damage and soil conditions in the canyon.
The agency could not estimate the cost or timeline of work needed to reopen the SH1 corridor for the area, he said.
CHECKPOINT/RNZ
Northland residents are warned that the badly damaged Mangamuka Gorge could take a long time to recover after being shut down during a storm.
For now, Waka Kotahi would work with mana whenua, stakeholders and key experts to review the role of SH1, SH10 and local roads to provide a resilient transportation network for the region.
Karma said this would help identify the work needed for the highways, including exploring options, assessing costs, risk mapping, procurement and implementation.
“The feedback we have received from our partners will feed into an options assessment that will recommend a preferred path.”
Vehicle only/delivered
The heavy rain left 19 slips on SH1 at Mangamuka Gorge, leaving a trail of destruction through the highway.
Karma said that while the work on the project would be accelerated, they would also be thorough to realize a state highway to the north that can withstand severe weather, for example.
“While we don’t have all the answers yet, we are confident that by partnering with key members and experts of the Far North community, we will together deliver a solution that will empower the region and benefit generations to come. come.”