Work continues on twice-hit highway

A coastal highway north of Kaiko¯ ura destroyed by ex-cyclone Gita should be reinstated by the end of the year.

Work has begun on a permanent path for State Highway 1 past Jacob’s Ladder, between O¯ hau Point and Okiwi Bay, to replace a temporary detour closer to the sea before Christmas.

The steep hillside was already damaged by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in 2016, before excyclone Gita tore through the South Island in February last year, dumping a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours.

The highway at Jacob’s Ladder, named for the biblical ladder to heaven, was covered in 200,000 cubic metres of slip material, also shoving rail tracks and sleepers out of place.

Traffic was diverted onto a temporary bypass on the foreshore while the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR) crew dug through the slip.

Project manager David Larcombe said having dug the road out and reshaped the basin, work could start on the new 700-metre stretch of highway. ‘‘Now it’s time for a permanent solution, so we can hand this section of road back in good condition to the maintenance contractor.’’

The crew would remove 50,000 cubic metres of material from the basin of Jacob’s Ladder, and install a 4x4 culvert underneath the highway and the main north line railway. A temporary rail bridge was also installed, so trains could keep running while the work was carried out.

The permanent section of highway should be finished in December.

Another project is also under way on the Inland Road, State Highway 70, west of Kaiko¯ura, replacing emergency repairs carried out after the 2016 earthquake.

Three separate NCTIR crews are working on 20 permanent repairs, including bridges, culverts and retaining walls.

The project is expected to take about 12 months.

The road will be kept open with stop-go sections or traffic lights, and motorists should expect some delays and allow extra travel time.