Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
The work to remove unstable rock material from South Westland’s Epitaph Rift is going well, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).
Abseiling crews have been working on the cliff face, north of Haast, removing large rocks and exploding unstable rock features since the highway closed early November last year. Intensive rain set off numerous rockfalls and slips, closing SH6 for 13 days.
“This week, the abseiling and rock explosive team reached an important milestone,” says Moira Whinham, Maintenance Contract Manager for NZTA on the West Coast. “The unstable layer along the crest of the rockfall has now been completely removed and benched. This means they can now begin safely deconstructing the unstable material further down the cliff face, through to the end of March.”
Current situation re delays for drivers/ road users
Currently SH6 is closed in both directions between 12:30pm and 3pm Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, with Stop/Go in place between 3pm and 5pm on those two afternoons with delays for drivers.
New timetable with crews closer to the road – Monday to Friday delays
Now that the team is able to work down the southern margin of the rock face, there will be longer delays during the day to allow this area of the face to be scaled safely, says Miss Whinham.
From Monday 17 February, there will be delays of up to 30 minutes Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm. Full closures for blasting will continue Tuesdays and Thursdays between 12.30 pm to 3pm through to the end of March.
“We appreciate road users’ patience while we undertake this important recovery work, affecting more people across the working week,” says Miss Whinham.
Epitaph Slip/ below road level funding confirmed
NZTA confirms that around $1.7 million in funding has been confirmed this week to construct a micro-pile wall along the downslope shoulder of the road (ie under the road on the 2012 slip area).
Work on this will begin in early March and is expected to be complete in May. “Both activities, to the upper slope and under the road, will be happening at the same time and will be coordinated across the site, but it will mean there is traffic management in place around the clock until the micro-pile work is complete,” says Miss Whinham.
What are micro-piles?
Micro-piles are a whole lot of little piles drilled down into the road that basically stabilise the surface. This piece of work will deal with the stability below the road, specifically around the shoulder, and is separate from the rockfall stabilisation work. As well as the rockfall last November, there was also movement in the road surface. Cracks have since been filled, but the micro-piling is a more long-term fix.
Longer term resilience business case, Hāwea to Knights Point, north of Epitaph slip area
Work continues on the NZTA investment case looking at potential medium and long-term solutions for the management of the Epitaph Slip to address the vulnerability of the state highway at this location. The business case is expected to be completed in the second half of 2025.
This work will enable NZTA to determine a preferred long-term solution at this site in parallel with completing its SH6 Haast (Knights Point) to Hāwea Corridor Resilience Improvement Business Case.
