A week after heavy storms devastated parts of the upper North Island, work has continued to repair and reopen roads left damaged by slips and floods.
Last week's severe weather forced the closure of several key highways in affected regions, leaving some communities cut off.
Since then, crews worked to fix the roading network and restore connections.
“It’s been tough for people in the affected regions, but particularly those who became isolated after the closure of key roads cut off their community," Transport Minister Chris Bishop said.
“Our priority has been to restore those connections as quickly as possible. Crews have been working around the clock to assess damage, clear slips and debris, and repair roads so they can be reopened.”
He said there was still work to do, but "good progress" had been made across many of the affected roads.
East Coast, Tairāwhiti
On the East Coast, there was still limited access via a guided convoy on SH35, which Bishop said was "particularly hard hit".
Guided convoy access was operating between the Taurangakoau Bridge across the Mangaowira Stream and Te Araroa at set times each day.
The section between Te Araroa and Pōtaka remained closed due to a massive slip involving nearly 250,000 cubic metres of material. Some of the material only came down over the last couple of days, making conditions "very dangerous" for workers.
It was the most severely damaged section of SH35 and would likely take the longest to reopen.
“Given the scale of the damage, full recovery of SH35 will take time, and safety will continue to guide decisions on when and how further sections can reopen," Bishop said.
"People are urged to avoid unnecessary travel and drive with extreme care."
Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty
In Northland and Waikato, where slips and floods isolated comminities, all state highways had reopened, with clean-up and traffic management continuing in some areas.
The rail line connecting Hamilton to Tauranga and Bay of Plenty was initially closed due to slips and land underneath the tracks being washed away. The line was reopened within a day, allowing freight to continue moving.
A 50m section of track on the line south of Tauranga needed to be rebuilt after being forced to close due to slips and the land under the rails being washed away.
Slips and swollen rivers left multiple towns on the Coromandel Peninsula totally cut off from the outside world. Five sections of State Highway were closed at the height of the bad weather.
Four have since reopened, including SH25 between Coromandel town and Kūaotunu, SH2 through Karangahake Gorge, SH25 between Hikuai and Whangamatā, and SH25 between Kūaotunu and Kūaotunu West as of this morning.
SH25 between Whangamatā and Whiritoa would stay closed for a longer period due to the "scale and complexity" of the slip there, Bishop said. It was expected to be reopened in February.
SH2 through the Waioweka Gorge in the Bay of Plenty remains closed, as crews work to clear damage caused by 40 slips that occurred across the route.
“This is one of the most significant closures we’ve seen,” Bishop said.
Slips throughout the main link to the East Coast will take many weeks to remedy, NZTA says. (Source: 1News)
“Crews are dealing with a mix of large overslips and underslips, with an estimated thousand truckloads of material still to be removed.
"Teams are working from both ends of the gorge, seven days a week, with the priority being to reopen at least one lane as soon as it is safe to do so."
Bishop said that over the coming days and weeks, crews would continue their work.
“Even where roads have reopened, there are still many single-lane sections, lower speed limits and traffic management in place.
“NZTA is actively monitoring the network and will move quickly to respond if further damage occurs.
“We’ll continue to support communities affected by this event, while investing to ensure our transport network is more resilient for whatever comes next.”
SHARE ME