Takaka Hill partial reopening
The extent of the damage to the Takaka Hill road means there is no time-frame yet as to when it will be fully reopened, but access for priority vehicles is hoped to be made available from Sunday.
Travel would be one-way, under escort in guided convoys, with strict safety controls in place from 9 am to 5 pm.
System manager Frank Porter said priority would be given to essential vehicles and those most urgently needing to get in and out of the region.
‘‘We’re urging people who don’t absolutely need to travel immediately to allow us to give priority to those who do. The most pressing need is getting fuel, feed for stock and essential freight into Golden Bay, and getting milk and other freight, tourists and people who need to attend medical appointments to the Nelson side of the hill.’’
As of Friday evening, all but the largest slips had been cleared from the road.
Porter said the hillside had collapsed at a site about 1.5km west of Riwaka, taking most of the road with it.
‘‘Work crews are working urgently to make this site and the other slip sites safe enough to allow limited single-lane access so we can re-establish this lifeline and re-connect communities in Golden Bay to the rest of the South Island.
‘‘We understand how vital this route is to the region, and reestablishing access is our top priority,’’ he said.
Porter said even when the slip site had stabilised enough to allow less restricted travel, a regular schedule of full road closures would be necessary to allow construction crews access to rebuild the road.
There is a fuel restriction in place in the area and barges with supplies are being shipped to the area several times daily, Porter said, while about 6000 residents and tourists in Golden Bay wait for news as to when the road will reopen.
Golden Bay has been cut-off from the country from Tuesday afternoon after slips triggered by ex-Cyclone Gita closed it. Porter said engineers and geotechnical experts were assessing the site and NZTA would provide a timeline for re-opening as soon as more information became available.
Golden Bay is rallying together in high community spirits to maintain some level of self-sufficeiency.
There are several options for leaving Golden Bay, including a vehicle barge at Port Tarakohe, taking passengers and cars on a five-hour trip to Kaiteriteri, and a bus route to Totaranui connecting to a water taxi to Kaiteriteri.
Another are flights run by small, private operators. Golden Bay Air said it had more than 100 people on a waitlist on Wednesday and long queues at Takaka Airport, for flights to Nelson.