A temporary road around the slip at Te Ore Ore opened in December last year. Photo / Bevan Conley
A temporary road around the slip at Te Ore Ore opened in December last year. Photo / Bevan Conley
Work will start ramping up again on State Highway 4 Parapara this week, with a project to stabilise the slip area at Te Ore Ore a priority.
NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) continued with essential maintenance of the highway during Covid-19 alert level 4 but the shift to level 3 means an increase in maintenance work and resumption of capital works projects.
A spokeswoman referred the Whanganui Chronicle to NZTA's April newsletter for information about the work and said another update would likely be distributed later this week.
In the newsletter, NZTA said it will take some time for sites and projects to be fully operational and travel restrictions between the regions may affect some projects due to a limited workforce.
"This will result in an increase of activity on SH4," Manawatū-Whanganui and Taranaki system management manager Ross I'Anson said.
"But our message remains the same. Please continue to stay safe, stay home, and stay local."
A major slip in October last year affected 400m of SH4 at Te Ore Ore, closing a stretch of the road. A temporary road around the slip was opened on December 20 with a speed limit of 30km/h.
NZTA said work is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, May 5, on installing an interim dewatering system that will stabilise the slip area, with work to continue throughout May and June.
The contractor will build access tracks and do drainage upgrades. The next steps include drilling boreholes and wells, and installing pumps to remove ground water into drains, which will carry the water away from the site.
Level 4 restrictions have also had an impact on projects at six other sites on the Parapara.
NZTA said land acquisition, design and consent application processes are under way for the Raukawa Falls site but the Ruapehu and Whanganui district councils were unable to accept consent applications during the lockdown period. Priority had instead been given to environmental effects and regional consents during that time.
NZTA is rescheduling work at Whiskey's Corner. Photo / Bevan Conley
Tree felling has been completed at Whiskey's Corner and it had been planned to finish earthworks by the end of March. The work is being rescheduled but NZTA said it hoped work on the site can be completed quickly after Covid-19 restrictions have been removed.
The start date for the South Raupiu Retreat project is expected to change slightly and NZTA is reviewing the design.
At Otoko Pā, earthworks, drainage and slip-related work and pavement preparation had been completed on the overslip site. It is ready for sealing and it is expected to take three to five days to complete the project once work can resume.
Work on the consent process is continuing for the Hapokopoko Curve Rock site, with approval awaited for the ecology report. Construction had been expected to start in March and a new completion date of late September 2020 has been set.
NZTA said the Kukuta underslip project construction design is still in its early stages and was limited by Covid-19 restrictions. The consent application process is under way. The site remains under one-way traffic lights.
