Contractors have made good progress felling the dangerously damaged 15-metre-high trees on Reikorangi Road in Kāpiti reports Kāpiti Coast District Council.

At 6pm Tuesday, most of the dangerous trees have been felled. Work on site has stopped for the night and one lane of the road is open under traffic control for residents and emergency services only. Access is also open on Akatarawa Road for residents only. There is no access to Upper Hutt.

Arborists will check the site regularly overnight and if conditions change and the area becomes unsafe, the road might need to be closed again. If there is no need to travel, residents are advised to stay at home as things can change quickly and it’s still an uncertain situation.

All going well, the arborists expect they will finish their work tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.

Nienke Itjeshorst, Incident Controller, said arborists and contractors are reconvening on site at first light to assess the situation and any developments overnight before work starts.

“We know that residents may need to travel in the morning and we will be updating the community as soon as we have confirmation of the road status tomorrow morning,” says Ms Itjeshorst.

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