Road slip cleared after almost three months

It has taken almost three months of hard, perilous slog, but Transit NZ staff have finally removed the last of a massive slip on the Napier-Taupo road north of Tarawera.

Torrential rain at Easter weekend destabilised 3000cu m of shale and mud, causing a massive slip.

Peak holiday traffic reduced to a crawl after Transit closed the southbound lane.

A week later a young Hawke's Bay woman escaped death at the same site when a 12,000cu m avalanche of mud and rubble hurled her car six metres down a bank, leaving it resting precariously against a tree.

An unmanned digger, valued at between $200,000 and $300,000 was not so lucky and was wrecked when it plunged 70m into the gorge.

A Transit spokeswoman said roadside barriers were still in place, but the site was open to two lanes with a speed restriction of 70km/h.

Further construction works will begin at the end of this month.

Meanwhile, excavation and fill works were close to completion at the north side of Mohaka Hill on SH2.

Traffic was reduced to one lane and a speed restriction of 30km/h was in place.

Subsidence repair work was under way on SH2 north of Morere and was expected to be completed next week, weather permitting.

- HAWKE'S BAY TODAY