Conway Flat Rd protection about to start
Rock protection is planned for Conway Flat Rd in the Hurunui district, large parts of which fell into the sea as a consequence of the November 2016 earthquake.
Even before the earthquake, the Hurunui District Council had begun monitoring the rate of the shoulder loss along that stretch of road and residents had brought the issue up with council.
From the monitoring it had become clear that at least on one particular stretch of Conway Flat Rd, the rate of shoulder loss had increased significantly as a direct result of the earthquake.
The council’s roading team leader Kushla Tapper said a project was planned to build a new rock wall which will mitigate the erosion.
Work on the wall will begin next week after the council secured an 84 per cent subsidy of the proposed cost of construction from the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).
‘‘The 450 metre long stretch of wall will form a continuation to the north of existing rock protection along Conway Flat Rd,’’ Tapper said.
‘‘We expect this new rock wall to stabilise the rate of loss the road shoulder is currently experiencing and prevent the sea further eating away the land close to the road.’’
Tapper said there were a couple of hill sides that partially blocked vision of oncoming traffic and these would be removed, and the material used as backfill along the rock wall.
‘‘This is a win-win, as sightlines will be improved making the road safer to travel and the material needed for the project will be readily accessible with a short cart distance, keeping costs down,’’ she said.
While work is carried out, residents are advised to expect a high volume of trucks transporting rocks to the site.
The project is expected to be completed in approximately eight weeks’ time, however there should be minimal disruption as the road will remain open and accessible.