Council is working to provide short-term heavy vehicle access on the Otunui South Rd and Taringamotu Rd dropouts until permanent long-term repairs are completed.

Land Transport Manager Jodeci Waru-Savage said Council understands the road closures are creating major issues for the affected communities.

“We know the impact these closures are having and the need to reinstate heavy vehicle access as quickly as possible for stock movements and other essential freight,” he said.

“Although people may not have seen diggers on the ground, we have been working at pace with our contractors and NZTA Waka Kotahi on the best way to respond at each site.”

Mr Waru-Savage explained that to secure NZTA funding for major works, Council must follow an agreed process that includes geo-technical surveys, design, and other technical work.

“We cannot bring in contractors ahead of an agreed plan with NZTA who are supportive but obviously hold their own perspective regarding risk, options and funding.

Both dropouts present difficult repair locations which are estimated to cost over $500,000 each to fix,” he said.

Otunui South Rd

“The Otunui South Rd site presents multiple challenges including a large vertical drop, steep bank, erodible soils, ground water, and a power line we need to consider.

Work on providing short-term heavy vehicle access is expected to start in the next week or so, subject to landowner and NZTA agreement.

We anticipate this will take around two to three weeks to establish.

Once started, work is intended to continue straight through to the permanent fix, which is expected to take six to ten weeks depending on weather and ground conditions.

There will be stop/go traffic management during the day, with some periods of scheduled road closures required. Temporary traffic management will remain in place until all works are complete.”

Taringamotu Rd

“At Taringamotu Rd, short-term access for local farmers via a sidetrack is being scoped and should be in place by the end of next week (Friday 5 September).

Design work for permanent repairs will take place over the next two to three weeks with construction scheduled to begin before the end of the year.

Regardless, long-term repairs will be completed over the coming summer,” he said.

Mr Waru-Savage added that Council would like to thank residents - especially the rural community - for their patience and understanding while repairs are progressed.

“The May and June storms caused around $2.3 million in damage to Ruapehu’s local roading network, with road crews being called out hundreds of times in response to slips, flooding, fallen trees, and road dropouts.

“Our contractors have done an outstanding job keeping the network open despite the scale of the damage. Council is very grateful for their efforts,” he said.

“We would also like to remind drivers to watch out for repair crews, follow any instructions or signage, and drive to the conditions as they travel around the district.

“Hopefully we won’t see any more extreme weather events or more damage to the network for a while,” he said.

© Scoop Media