Specialist crews will be removing loose rocks, surveying the slip zones and carrying out subsurface geotechnical investigations to develop geological and survey maps. A topographical survey of the road below will also be completed.
This work is an important part of developing a permanent solution for stabilisation and reinforcement work in the slip areas in Ngaio Gorge following the landslides of July 2017.
For the first week starting Monday 29 April, the road and walking tracks will be closed between 9am and 4pm each day, and traffic diverted (weather permitting). Buses will be given access.
After that, crews will be working from 7am to 6pm Monday to Saturday. Road users may experience delays near where the investigation work is happening. In some cases the road may be down to one lane during off-peak times and controlled by stop/go traffic management.
This phase of work is expected to be finished towards the end of May, 2019.
“We acknowledge that working during the day is disruptive for residents and people who need to travel on the Ngaio Gorge Road, but the work can only be done during the daytime due to safety constraints,” says Wellington City Council’s structures engineer Sarath Amarasekera. “We will do all we can to minimise the impact on residents, businesses, and commuters.”
The main construction work will begin towards the end of 2019, and will take about a year to complete.