SH25 Thames Coast Road closed until at least Tuesday

The slip in Ruamahunga Bay on SH25 of the Thames Coast Rd is still being cleared, with the hope it will be open by late tomorrow.

Remnants of ex-tropical Cyclone Debbie caused havoc to the local roads and State Highways around the Coromandel, with some of the worst being slips in varying size on the Thames Cost Road. The largest slip in Ruamahunga Bay saw some residents between there and Kereta isolated for less than 24 hours, until the slip at Kereta was cleared Friday afternoon.

Currently there is still no access to traffic on the Thames Coast SH25 at the Ruamahunga slip site. This is because the slip is bigger than the first estimated 1000m3.

There has also been conflicting messages on the ground about access along this section of the State Highway which has been causing frustration with locals and non-resident ratepayers alike.

"We're doing our best to work with NZTA who manage the highway, to make sure everybody gets efficient and correct information of how the slip is getting fixed and the timeframe this is happening," says Mayor Sandra Goudie. "Back in 2010 there was another slip at Ruamahunga Bay, and we took from that some lessons learned which don't seem to be implemented at the moment.

Last week contractors on the ground were letting residents head south to Thames, through the cordon only to refuse entry on their return, leading to many residents heading into work in Thames, only to find they couldn't get home.

"4 - 5 days is the longest I can recall the road has been closed in the last 20+ years and is not acceptable.
People's livelihoods are at stake and each day means thousands of dollars are lost.," says Mayor Sandra.

"Once I have a briefing post this event, I will be seeking a clear plan for future clearing of major slips. We need to know that NZTA have the machinery, manpower and planning in place to clear slips such as this in as quick a timeframe as possible.," she says.

NZTA contractors had diggers clearing the slip at Ruamahunga over the weekend.

While work clearing the slip has been underway during daylight hours, NZTA are providing traffic management 24 hours a day to ensure that people don’t unknowingly drive into the working area.

With the effort being made to getting this slip cleared NZTA says it expects to have the road reopened on Tuesday afternoon.

For updates on traffic and travel on state highways see the NZTA website.

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