NZTA takes over detour roads

NEW Zealand Transport Agency is taking over control of the Saddle Road and Pahiatua Track as the closure of the Manawatu Gorge looks set to continue for up to two months.

Regional State Highways Manager, David McGonigal, said that after geological assessments indicated the closure was expected to continue for up to two months longer, NZTA road crews had assumed responsibility for the maintenance of the detour routes.

The detours had previously been maintained by council contractors based on a funding agreement with the NZTA.

Mr McGonigal said by temporarily taking over the alternative routes, the NZTA’s road crews would help ensure the alternative routes remained safe and viable.

The decision followed a meeting last Friday between the NZTA and Mayors and Chief Executives of the Manawatu and Tararua District Councils and Palmerston North City Council, and the Chairman and Chief Executive of Horizons Regional Council, to discuss issues the closure was causing.

Mr McGonigal said the NZTA road crews were on call 24/7 and would be able to carry out repairs at off-peak times, such as evenings, to limit disruption to motorists.

Repairs would be temporary to ensure roadworks would not significantly impede traffic flow, and permanent repairs would be made once the gorge reopened and traffic settled.

“We appreciate that the alternative routes have taken a lot of punishment, and given the length of the closure, it’s appropriate that we fully assume the costs and organisation of the upkeep of these roads,” he said.

He said the agency was hugely grateful to the councils for providing the detour routes and “it’s only fair that we do what we can to ensure these alternative routes are up to the task of carrying state highway traffic volumes while the gorge is closed.”

Mr McGonigal said that while the scale of the slip looked set to surpass the slips of 2004, the gorge was expected to remain viable long-term. The NZTA had agreed the detour routes needed more "TLC" to help them handle the increase of traffic from about 700 vehicles per day to around 6000.

“Closures of this extent only happen around once in a decade, but when they do happen they cause real disruption. Our priority is twofold: getting the highway reopened as soon as it’s safe to do so, and keeping the alternative routes well maintained and safe in the meantime.

“We appreciate that people are frustrated about the length of this closure. We need to bring much more unstable material down from high up on the slope and we’ll be hoping for some more rain to help bring it down.”

Mr McGonigal said the ongoing slips had occurred at the location of a much bigger ancient landslide. The area where the slip had occurred was made up of silty, sandy gravel with large boulders mixed with areas of greywacke rock, resulting in an unstable hillside that needed to shed more material before it stabilised.

He said the NZTA had employed five different companies, including geological specialists, to help the NZTA find solutions to stop the hillside moving. Until it did, there was no quick fix to the problem.

“We’re up against the forces of nature here, and to some extent we have to wear it on the chin, and that’s not easy to accept when you’ve got an important highway that’s shut.

“This is one of the longest and most frustrating closures on record and we’re well aware that it’s very disruptive for motorists and local communities. We want to thank them for being so incredibly patient. We’d love to say for sure when it’s going to open, but until we know that, we’re committed to doing everything we can to ease the pain.”

Mr McGonigal said the NZTA would also improve signage and traffic management around Ashhurst and Woodville to improve traffic flow and reduce rat-running.

He encouraged motorists and locals to contact contractors with reports of damage to the detour routes to enable road crews to act promptly.

Defects could be reported to Higgins 24 hours a day/7 days a week on (06) 357-1026, and other queries directed to the NZTA on hno-pn@nzta.govt.nz or (06) 953-6396.