The movement in the hillside took part of the road with it. Photo / Supplied
The movement in the hillside took part of the road with it. Photo / Supplied
A section of Route 52 has had to be closed to traffic due to a "nasty" slip.
Tararua District Council group manager of infrastructure Chris Chapman said continued bad weather on the section of road, between Pongaroa and Alfredton, had caused movement in the hillside, which extended to the road.
"It's a nasty one all right," he said. "It's one of the many hills that is on the move and taking the road out with it."
The movement may have been exacerbated by recent quakes, which, while weak, might have "given it a bit of a shake".
Last Wednesday a quake with a magnitude of 3.0 struck 10km west of Castlepoint, and a magnitude 2.5 was detected 15km east of Pongaroa on Saturday.
He said the rain and wind had created a few challenges around the Tararua district, although the issues were not unique as other regions were fighting similar battles.
Chris Chapman is looking forward to seeing the back of winter so permanent repairs can be done to roads around the district. Photo / NZME
"I'm looking forward to the back of winter so we can start getting some permanent repairs under way."
Geotechnical engineers were on site at the section of Route 52 earlier this week to assess the damage and come up with some recommendations.
Chapman said initial works were under way to try to relieve the pressure from the sheer mass above the road, reduce the movement and try to stabilise the road.
He said work had already been under way in other areas, such as tree planting or improving drainage, and those might be options to consider.
This section of Route 52 between Pongaroa and Alfredton has had to be closed. Photo / Supplied
Residents along that stretch of road would be affected by the closure but work would be done to ensure they had access, such as a temporary road to avoid long detours, but when that would be done would depend on weather conditions.
Chapman said this kind of thing was not "completely random".
"We've had a lot of these where hillsides continually move and either take the road out from under it or come down on top and push a road down a cliff."
The washout in 2017 along Route 52. It took more than 12 months to repair. Photo / NZME
Five years ago, there was a slip where a 20-metre section of road along Route 52 was completely washed away.
Chapman said the washout had taken more than 12 months to repair and was far more complex than the current slip due to drainage needs and associated earthworks.
It was first reported in the Dannevirke News in July 2017 and a later article said it had been a year of bad weather, affecting properties and gardens.
"We have dealt with some pretty nasty things over the last 10 years," Chapman said.
