The only local road still closed in the Far North after last week's deluge is West Coast Rd, between Kohukohu and Panguru, but the cost of fixing all the damage could hit $5 million. Photo / FNDC
The only local road still closed in the Far North after last week's deluge is West Coast Rd, between Kohukohu and Panguru, but the cost of fixing all the damage could hit $5 million. Photo / FNDC
The cost of repairing Far North roads damaged in last week's massive rainfall is expected to reach $5 million, the Far North District Council says.
Combined with damage from heavy rain earlier in the month, the total repair bill for August is likely to be about $6.5m.
That doesn't include damage to state highways — especially State Highway 1 through Mangamuka Gorge — which will cost many millions more but is the responsibility of government roading agency Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency rather than the council.
More than 200mm of rain fell in some areas in just 48 hours last week, causing widespread flooding, multiple slips and cutting power to thousands of residents.
It capped off a month of heavy rain that had already left the council with an estimated road repair bill of $1.55m before last week's deluge.
Chief executive Blair King said the council will be seeking funding assistance from central government to help cover the repair costs.
"While we do budget for extreme weather events, a $6.5m repair bill in one month will have an impact on other roading projects. It would be unfair to expect ratepayers to bear that cost alone and we will be seeking maximum support from the Government," he said.
By Friday morning last week 50 local roads had been affected with many reduced to one lane or passable only by four-wheel drive vehicles, with 14 closed to all traffic.
One of those — West Coast Rd, between Kohukohu and Panguru in North Hokianga — remains closed with no opening date in sight.
The closure, caused by a significant and still moving underslip near Motutī, has left the settlements of Panguru and Mitimiti all but cut off.
Narrow, winding and unsealed Runaruna Rd is their only connection to the outside world.
Floodwaters over Omaunu Rd, near Kāeo, during last week's torrential rain. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Meanwhile, Waka Kotahi Auckland/Northland manager Jacqui Hori-Hoult said she couldn't give a timeline for reopening SH1 through Mangamuka Gorge until a geotechnical assessment had been completed.
The total number of underslips in the gorge was now 15, in addition to three overslips road crews were working to clear.
The official detour for traffic heading to and from Kaitaia is SH10 around the east coast.
Damaging, costly storms seem to be an increasingly regular occurrence.
After severe storms in June and July 2014, which cut the entire Far North district off from the rest of the country and triggered close to 400 slips on local roads, the council estimated $36m was needed to return roads to their pre-storm condition.
