After nine weeks of work to shear the top off troublesome Lemon's Hill, State Highway 11 between Kawakawa and Opua has been opened - at least, for two hours.
About 100 motorists took advantage of the limited opening for a short period yesterday morning and again between 4.15pm and about 5.30pm.That two-way access was tightly managed by Northland Police and New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) traffic staff.
An NZTA spokesman said the agency hopes the twice a day opening can continue, to relieve some pressure on workers and other regular road users forced to take the long way round.
But the giant terraced bank where the unstable hill once loomed will be subject to inspections all day every day, with the decision to open or not made on the spot, daily, he said.
That thought hasn't found favour with some motorists and retailers in towns on both sides of the slip, who say either open it or not.