Work on repairing 11 major slips along Taihape Rd caused by Cyclone Gabrielle will begin in August with the awarding of the contract for this work, which is 100 per cent funded by Central Government.

The cyclone caused about 224 major slips across Hastings district, and in order to best address the volume and scale of repairing these, a suppliers panel of contractors has been appointed to tender the work in packages.

The first of these packages is for the slips on Taihape Rd with the contract awarded to TW Civil and Infrastructure Group.

Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said that it was another significant step in the recovery process.

“Last week [Friday, July 19] we celebrated the completion of the permanent rebuild of the Chrystal Culvert in Tūtira, and it’s great to be following this up with the news that the repairs of these major slips in Taihape Rd can begin.

“Establishing a suppliers panel has been a big step in supporting our rebuild. The members of the panel have the experience and capability to carry out these big recovery projects. While there is still a long way to go and our roading network is still fragile, this project signals the start of our getting on with the real recovery work, beyond the maintenance work we have been undertaking since the cyclone.

“We acknowledge the Central Government funding that is allowing us to get on with this part of our large recovery work programme.”

The suppliers panel comprises four preferred suppliers: TW Civil and Infrastructure Group, Hick Bros Civil Construction Ltd, Downer Group NZ and Tūpore Infrastructure.

TW Civil and Infrastructure general manager Johan Kruger said his team was excited about the opportunity to be a part of Council’s rebuild works, following a successful procurement process.

“We are committed to delivering a high-quality rebuild project while maintaining clear communication channels with all stakeholders. Our goal is to ensure this is a positive experience for everyone involved and affected by the project.”

It was expected that construction would begin on the Taihape Rd slip repairs in early August and would take up to 18 months to complete. To date, management of these slips has included stabilisation, and reducing the road to a single lane in places under a priority traffic approach.

Because most of the slip repairs would be undertaken within the existing closed lanes, it was not anticipated that there would be significant additional delays for road users. However, the work sites will be under stop/go traffic management, a change from the priority traffic approach currently in place.

This work was taking place under a global resource consent granted by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council for 113 sites across the district.

In addition to these 11 major slips, there are also five bridges along Taihape Road still requiring significant repairs.

These repairs were in addition to the four that were completed in the aftermath of the cyclone and would be managed under a different contract. Subject to funding, it was likely this bridge work, along with slip repairs on roads adjacent to Taihape Road would be undertaken during this same 18-month period.

Project updates will be posted on Council’s website and shared via the regular Kaweka Ward newsletters, while any urgent messages will be posted to Council’s social media channels.

Council asks drivers to please be patient and adhere to the direction of the traffic controllers, as they work to fully restore this important connection.

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