A cyclone-damaged stretch of State Highway 2 at Otoko Hill is being transformed with work to stabilise the hillside and make the area more flood-resilient ramping up over the coming months.
Transport Rebuild East Coast (Trec) crews are working their way up the highway at Otoko Hill.
Since the cyclone, the focus has been on repairing and resurfacing the road, with several underslips fixed.
Trec Tairāwhiti spokesman Richard Bayley said attention had turned to stabilising the hill surrounding the road and improving drainage to minimise the potential for slips to move again in the future.
“Extensive drainage systems will be installed to reduce water build-up and large metal soil anchors and shotcrete (a type of concrete sprayed onto a surface using a high-pressure hose) will be used to stabilise the hillside and reduce land movement.