Signs of life in Manawatu¯ Gorge
The crippled Manawatu¯ Gorge highway is not yet out to pasture, with experts set to assess if it is safe for people to once again head in.
But there are signs a hill alongside the road is still moving.
State Highway 3 through the gorge has been closed in April 2017 due to two large slips falling on the road.
Workers were initially deployed by the New Zealand Transport Agency to clear the slips and rebuild damaged roadway.
But everyone was pulled out in July 2017 when a large section of hillside was found to be still moving.
The hillside is at a place called Kerry’s Wall, 4.5 kilometres from the Ashhurst turnoff. It was given an extreme risk rating.
The gorge has remained shut in the meantime, with progress made on building a new highway between the eastern and western sides of the North Island.
New Zealand Transport Agency regional systems manager Ross I’anson said yesterday the risk rating was under review.
Much of the gorge was either high or very high, but the Kerry’s Wall section was extreme due to the movement.
There had not been a formal review of the risk rating for some time, so the agency wanted to check if it was still extreme, he said.
If the review justified lowering the risk rating, and the agency was satisfied the movement was small enough, there was potential for people to head back in.
‘‘But we have to be certain it is not a fluctuation in the movement,’’ he said.
There were signs the hill had been moving.
A section of road that rose ‘‘like a wave’’ after the April slips was replaced before workers were pulled out.
That brand new road had also risen, I’anson said.
There had also been more small slips in the past year and there were signs the large slip near Kerry’s Wall had widened.
I’anson said he was not yet able to put a finish date on the review, which would also need to be peer reviewed.