NZTA starts reconstruction of West Coast highway link
NZTA starts reconstruction of West Coast highway
link
The NZ Transport Agency says good
progress is being made on the reconstruction of a section of
State Highway 6 near Harihari on the West Coast.
A
40 metre-long section of the highway on the northern
approach to the Wanganui River bridge was washed away by
flood waters last Wednesday (2 January).
“Reconstruction is going well, and we remain on
track to have the highway re-opened as planned next Tuesday
(8 January),” says the NZTA’s Senior Asset Manager for
the West Coast, Mark Pinner.
Mr Pinner says
contractors started rebuilding the highway late yesterday
(Saturday).
“We have managed to divert flood
waters away from the washout and that’s allowed our
contractors to get in and start work on the repairs,” he
says.
Our first job is to re-build the fill
with gravel and rocks around the abutment or foundation
supporting the bridge at north end, together with other
preparatory works to ensure we get the highway re-opened as
soon as possible.
Mr Pinner says work also
continues along the banks of the Wanganui River to divert it
back on to its original course, under the middle of the 360
metre-long bridge."
The reconstruction of the
highway will be temporary, and further upgrades will be
needed later.
‘I am aware that the wait to get
the highway re-opened is a frustrating one for people on the
West Coast. This is a priority job for us, and we are
working as quickly and as safely as we can to get the
repairs finished,” says Mr
Pinner.
ENDS