Queen's Birthday holiday weekend traffic will have to bypass the Manawatu Gorge where closure of the highway seems set to go into a seventh week.
Highway authority the New Zealand Transport Agency confirmed yesterday the stretch of State Highway 3 between Woodville and Ashhurst, which has been closed since April 24 because of slips and now the instability of a retaining wall below the road, will remain closed despite attempts to reopen in time for the three-day break.
NZTA highway manager Ross I'Anson said geotechnical engineers have been in the gorge inspecting two slip sites while repair work has continued this week.
"The geotechnical engineers will be reporting back to us next week with a detailed assessment on the stability of these slip sites," he said.
They would be expected to confirm when conditions would be safe enough to allow traffic to travel through the gorge, and whether any additional work will be required.