Anzac Parade bank slips again
Frustrations for property owner at top of the landslide after second slip in a month
Aslip has once again closed a lane on Anzac Parade/ State Highway 4. The slip occurred yesterday, resulting in contractors being called to the site to clear the riverside road.
The majority of the debris blocking the road was subsequently cleared, but the busy route remained reduced to one lane as of this morning.
The slip is the second at the site in the past month, with a similar pile of rocks and debris reducing the road to one lane earlier in March.
Stephen Carle owns the property at the top of the bank and said the slips were proving frustrating.
He said the previous owner of the property had sought an engineer’s report on the land, which found that the biggest risk of a slip came from expanding clay as a result of sunlight.
“Their advice was to plant big trees at the base to keep the sun off it,” Carle said.
The property is occupied and Carle said all advice he has received says the property is safe. “It’s no different to as it was prior to us purchasing it. It’s five metres away from the edge, and where the fence is there’s concrete below that which has all been reinforced,” he said.
Carle had been contacted by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency about the slip and it was working with him to find a solution.
“They had an engineer down there at 9am this morning and I’m waiting to hear his report.”
In a statement, Waka Kotahi NZTA regional transport systems manager Ross l’Anson did not give a timeframe on the lane closure but confirmed work would be undertaken to clear the debris.
“We’re continuing to work on longterm solutions for this site. We need to consider the properties above the slip when developing the long-term solution and will keep in discussions with property owners throughout the process,” l’Anson said.