The Waikura Road slump has been repaired and the road reopened to heavy vehicles.

The major slump occurred in August this year during heavy rainfall and isolated the farming community.

The constant movement of the huge amount of land at the slump site caused delays for Council to establish a repair plan.

Complex horizontal drilling was required as soon as the hillside had stopped moving, draining up to 1100 litres of water per day.

As soon as the slip was stable and a design plan was confirmed, earthworks began on a $600k bench and fill design.

Contractors worked six days a week on the repair, which involved removing a large part of the hillside to stabilise the land and commence building a new road surface.

Donna McArthur, Council Journeys operations manager, said it was a fantastic result to have the road reopened before Christmas, considering the amount of work involved in such a short time.

“On behalf of Gisborne District Council, we would like to thank the Waikura community and stakeholders for their patience during this testing period. We understand that this period hasn’t been easy and has put significant pressure on local farming and honey operations.

“We’d also like to thank our staff and contractors who have worked tirelessly to find a solution to reconnect the community as quickly as possible.”

ENDS

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