The top section of Glenvar Road damaged during the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods, a key route to and from Long Bay and Torbay, will reopen tomorrow - six weeks earlier than expected.

AT closed the top end of the road in both directions after land gave way on both sides of the narrow ridge between East Coast Road and Fitzwilliam Drive, and geotechnical experts advised further slips could put property and lives at risk.

Designs developed for the previously planned upgrade of Glenvar Road were used to inform and help with the repair work to make it more resilient, and the construction was fast-tracked under the Auckland Flood Recovery emergency works settings.

“Making sure our communities were safe was our primary concern, and we thank the local community for their patience and understanding,” says Flood Recovery Chief Engineer, Murray Burt.

“The first priority was to locate and secure existing utility services, specifically the power lines, which were undermined by the slips and were in danger of falling on the road.

“The construction is testament to the close collaboration between AT, Fulton Hogan, Vector, other utility companies and material suppliers,” he said.

“Thank you to Auckland Transport, the various designers, sub-contractors and service providers for all working so closely together on this project to ensure an early and successful end result,” says Troy Girdler Brown, Albany Branch Manager at Fulton Hogan.

“We would also like to acknowledge and thank the residents and commuters for their patience during this difficult period.”

Hibiscus and Bays Local Board Deputy Chair Julia Parfitt said the local community was excited to hear the road was opening earlier than expected and it was a wonderful surprise, particularly for those residents and businesses who have been affected by the closure.

The complex Glenvar Road rebuild required significant earthworks, soil nailing, relocation of service utilities and construction of large retaining walls. The resulting repairs make the road safer, and more resilient to future weather events.

The top end of Glenvar Road is now wider with 300m of kerb and channel, has improved drainage, fences, a new safety barrier and a new footpath on the south side.

Bus routes will return to using this section of Glenvar Road from Sunday 15 October 2023. However, the AT Website Journey Planner and AT Mobile will not reflect this change till Sunday 12 November 2023.

More than 2000 slips and issues were reported across Auckland as a result of the January and February weather events. AT’s programme of repairs to more than 500 medium-large scale slips is expected to take two to three years to complete and cost around $300m.

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