Smashing! Finally, road reopens
A LARGE boulder that teetered over Blueskin Rd has been demolished and the road reopened late yesterday afternoon.
Dunedin City Council transport group manager Jeanine Benson said contractors completed the demolition of the boulder above the road, at Careys Bay, at the weekend, using a mechanical excavator with a rockbreaking attachment.
The remains of the boulder had been buried onsite. Shipping containers that had been positioned to protect houses below the boulder had been removed, Ms Benson said.
The unstable boulder, which weighed up to 100 tonnes, was anchored in place by metal rods and cables on private land above Blueskin Rd, south of Reynoldstown Rd, and was brought to the council’s attention by the landowner earlier this month. The road has been closed since October 7.
The work was initially expected to be completed last Friday but proved more complex than expected.
Holy Cow Farm owner Merrall MacNeille, whose farm shop in Blueskin Rd was adversely affected by the closure, confirmed the road reopened about 4.30pm.
West Harbour Community Board deputy chairman Trevor Johnson welcomed the reopening and praised the patience of some residents who were ‘‘a bit stressed’’ by having to use lengthy alternative routes.