Steady headway on Manawatu Gorge slip

The Manawatu Gorge slip site. Photo / supplied

The fourth "bench" is well under way as crews get increasingly closer to the next step in stabilising the Manawatu Gorge slip.

NZTA state highways manager David McGonigal said contractors began work on the fourth stabilising bench last Tuesday and were making steady headway. "The weather has been good to us, which has enabled great progress by the team - it almost seems like Mother Nature's trying to make amends," he said.

"There's still a lot of work to be done but we're getting closer to bench five and, once we've completed that, we'll be in a position to assess how we proceed from here on in."

While progress had been good, the amount of rock on the hillside continued to present a challenge for the crews on the slope.

"The machines are still uncovering some fairly large boulders and it looks like we may have to bring in the rock breaker again to speed things along."

NZTA was spraying another batch of hydroseeding on all the batters (slopes), comprising a mix of mulch, water, and grass and moss seed.

"Not only does hydroseeding provide an immediate food source for the germinating seeds, it will also capture and encourage further plant growth to jump-start the regeneration of plant life on the slope."

Mr McGonigal noted that most of the bush NZTA removed to access the slip was scrub and few trees had to be felled. A large rata tree had been carefully removed from the Ashhurst end of the slip and would be replanted behind the stream bridge railings when the NZTA finished clearing and re-stabilising the slip.

Mr McGonigal said the agency had prioritised the worst sections of the Saddle Rd bypass road surfaces. "Any upgrades that can be done now, while still keeping this vital detour open, are being done. This includes work at the Lower Saddle Road curve realignment and the slow vehicle bay near the wind farm. We're also keeping a close eye on the Pahiatua Track and have crews out there maintaining the road. We've identified some sections of the road surface that have developed corrugations, or ridges, and we will be re-grading those areas shortly.

"We've also completed the intersection design for Oxford Road/Woodlands Road and are ready to crack on with the work as soon as the necessary property agreements are finalised."