Major progress on massive slip blocking Awatere Valley Road

Cut through has been achieved on the massive slip which has blocked the Awatere Valley Road, stranding nine farming families in the upper Awatere since the Kaikoura earthquake.

After weeks of aerial bombardment by helicopter-borne monsoon buckets coupled with ground-level blasting to dislodge enormous boulders and manoeuvres with a remote-controlled digger, Marlborough Roads says a way through the slip has been opened up for construction vehicles.

Marlborough Roads Journey Manager Steve Murrin says the area is not yet sufficiently stable to allow public access but as soon as a safe route can be secured, the road will reopen, perhaps as soon as the end of next week.

“Our contractors are now well through the clearance work at this slip, to a point where we have allowed some emergency and construction traffic through, though there is still some helicopter work required to make the area safe. But now that we can get construction vehicles through we can get on with repairing damage further up the road.” 

The worst of this damage is about 4km beyond the main slip at Maddocks Cutting, where the earthquake has put big cracks in the road.

Mr Murrin says contractors will attempt to excavate into the road bank to provide a safe platform on which to construct a new 100 metre section of road.

The work for the contractors has been dangerous and technically challenging, said Mr Murrin.

“We cannot open the road for public use until both the main slip site and Maddocks areas are safe.”

However he is optimistic the road, going through to Molesworth can be reopened in the next week to 10 days.

Marlborough Civil Defence has been flying in supplies to the farms above the slip.

ENDS.

© Scoop Media