Emergency work to get the Takaka Hill open all day has cost $2.6 million, and there's more to come, the transport agency says.
Traffic is now flowing freely over the Takaka Hill, but short delays remain on some sections which are still only one-way. This is being managed by traffic crews, and from Friday, the one-way sections will be managed by traffic lights. Photo: RNZ / Tracy Neal
The segment of State Highway 60 was badly damaged by slips when ex-cyclone Gita caused flooding in February, which severed a road connection to Golden Bay.
Up until recently, access was limited to convoys at set times in the morning and evening, when crews of between 50 and 60 people worked to clean up the hill.
The agency's system manager, Frank Porter, said the route over the hill is now adequate for winter traffic, but there is more work to be done to reinstate the road to two-lanes in places.
"We'll have a design team underway over the next few months so that when we start getting into that good construction weather we'll be ready to go to put the two lanes back in place," Mr Porter said.
He said works to date have involved the removal of about 30,000 cubic metres of slip material, road widening in several areas to allow truck and trailer access over the Takaka Hill, replacement of five large culverts that were damaged or destroyed, and from Friday, the 24-7 manual traffic management system that has been in place since April 7 will be replaced by traffic lights.
Lengthy traffic delays marked the journey over the Takaka Hill in March, when it was open only for a short time each morning and night. Photo: RNZ / Tracy Neal
Delays on the hill are now only between three and five minutes, within a 1.5 kilometre stretch of the road that was worst affected.
Mr Porter said they will be looking at different options for how they might rebuild the road in areas where the worst slips happened.
"There are a few options and the final option we select will depend on the cost, but we haven't got to the stage of determining how much the extra repairs will be.
"We'll be thinking about how we can retain those slip areas."
Mr Porter said they needed to make sure the repairs would be permanent. He said the hill beneath parts of the road had dropped away 30 or 40 metres to the valley floor below, and would need significant retaining works.
He said the speed of recovery had been due to a large team effort, including the support from the Golden Bay community which had coped with the road closure and loss of business as a result.
"They've enabled our crews to get in and do the sequenced work. I'm delighted we've come as far as we have in a short space of time."