State Highway 2 Waioeka Gorge Nineteenth Project update…

The work to remove the middle rocky outcrop material continues, with steady progress being made. We can now outline to you the tactic being used to manoeuvre the machine up the slope to attack the rocky outcrop from above. The process used will see the machine start to dig into the rocky outcrop so that debris will fall into the excavated area to help create a track for it to move up the slope. Once the machine is above the mass outcrop it will start removing material from the top down. Spotters will be positioned on the other side of the Opato Stream at road level while this activity is undertaken to identify any potential danger to the excavation operator.

Geologists have also recently inserted three new prisms around an area identified as showing signs of fracture in the upper left side slope area. Our geologists have determined from recent inspections that these fractures have expanded and that this poses a long term risk to the stability of this upper slope area. Discussions are underway to determine the best way to manage this highly fractured rock area, as removing this material may cause other areas of the slip face to become unstable.

We are still uncertain about when the state highway will re-open to 2 lanes, there is still a considerable amount of work to do which all depends on the slip face being fully stabilised. The middle rocky outcrop needs to be removed to provide certainty around the middle slip face being stabilised. We will also need to monitor the upper left side of the slip face, to determine what activity will be most effective in stabilising this area.

Once we have certainty about the entire slip face’s stability, we will then have a clearer idea of how long it will take to re-establish State Highway 2, and to determine what facilities we need to put in place to provide long term confidence that this section of the State Highway will not be significantly impacted by another large slip in the near future. We will keep you updated as the work proceeds and the way forward becomes more certain.

ends

© Scoop Media