Ōtaki Gorge Rd is set to reopen in the new financial year.
Ōtaki Gorge Rd is set to reopen in the new financial year.
After four years of the Ōtaki Gorge Rd being closed, work to reopen it and reinstate access to the Ōtaki Forks and Tararua Forest is set to begin the new financial year.
The road was closed due to two major slips that have occurred since 2020 at the area known as Blue Bluff, which is 12km inland from the Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway.
The first slip, which happened in September 2020, was a “slow slip” which continued to shift for many months and caused the road to slump towards the river.
Just over a year later, in December 2021, an “over slip” occurred across the road and was about 3000 cubic metres in volume and 100m in length. That slip has continued to show signs of movement since then.
Kāpiti Coast District Council has now decided to reopen the road after considering several other options, including closing the road completely, building swing bridges across the river and building long-term walking access over the existing slips.
“Opening the road is the best option and we are looking forward to work getting underway,” Mayor Janet Holborow said.
“We acknowledge this decision has been a long time coming, but the forces of nature in the Ōtaki Gorge are powerful and we’ve had to consider a lot of factors.
“The loss of access has been sad for many in the community but especially difficult for those living beyond the slip site. We’d like to thank them for their patience and kindness as we work through the challenges of this project.”
Holborow said the Ōtaki Forks area and Tararua Forest Park were a taonga that had provided opportunities for recreation, education, fun, adventure, peace and much more over a long time. It was also on the Te Araroa Trail route.
“We’ve heard from the community that this is a unique part of the Kāpiti Coast and needs to be accessible to all people, from the hardiest of trampers to children to the elderly.
“Access to nature is vital – for our health, wellbeing and economy – so we’re pleased to now have a plan in place.”
The council’s infrastructure and asset management group manager Sean Mallon said the job was estimated to cost $7.5m and would be funded by the council and the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.
The council’s share would be about a third of the total.
“This is an estimate and could change when work begins.
“There are some unknowns in the over slip, so we’ll have hold points during the construction process to allow for re-evaluation and progress reporting.”
Mallon said there were no cheap ways of resolving the issue.
“We know how important this place is for a whole range of reasons and we’re looking forward to getting it open. We’ll also continue to investigate other potential alternative routes for providing long-term access, like swing bridges.”
The council aims to complete detailed design of the repairs and apply for resource consents by October, with work on the repairs to follow.
