Nelson's Maitai Valley Road, alongside the Maitai River, has been damaged since a landslide in 2022, with repairs expected to cost about $1.5m. Photo: Supplied/ Nelson City Council
Work is about to start to repair a landslide on a Nelson road, which occurred during major flooding and storms that affected the region in August 2022.
The repair work on Maitai Valley Road is expected to cost about $1.5 million, and is due to begin on Monday, Nelson City Council said.
The road is a vital link to the city for many rural properties east of the city, and will be open as a single lane with traffic light controls for about four months, until the work is completed.
The site is at the Couston Terrace, Nile Street intersection with Maitai Valley Road.
Council infrastructure manager Alec Louverdis said most of the work will be focused on remedial work near the Maitai River, with minor works to the slip on the other side of the road, including placing mesh across its front face.
The slip happened during heavy rain storms in August 2022, which brought flooding, damaged houses and caused major damage across a wide area of Nelson roads.
The full repair bill after the storm, including landslip remediation, was expected to be about $74m.
Louverdis said 51 percent of the repair bill from this landslide would be covered by NZTA Waka Kotahi.
"Our goal throughout recovery has been to build back better, taking the opportunity to increase Nelson's resilience in the event of another similar storm," he said.
The project was beginning earlier than had been scheduled as the contractor had advised they had the capacity, Louverdis said.
"We've taken this opportunity to get on with the job now, so people in this area can get back to normal.
"Getting started while the weather is still relatively dry will also give us an advantage and mean we can be finished sooner."