Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
Work to reduce rockfall risk above SH6 north of Haast and south of Knights Point near the Epitaph slip site comes to an end next week, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).
The work, which has included the use of explosives and blasting to reduce and remove unstable pieces of rock above the road, has been underway since the November 2024 storm, which triggered rockfall and closed the highway for just under a fortnight.
In order to do the explosives work safely, the highway has been closed for several hours two afternoons a week over recent months, affecting many road users, residents and businesses.
“Rock scaling work will finish up on Friday, 4 April, with the final afternoon traffic closure on Thursday afternoon,” says Moira Whinham, Maintenance Contract Manager for NZTA on the West Coast.
“This is a significant milestone for the recovery work at Epitaph rift which has removed large volumes of unstable material from the face, leaving the site safer for road users.”
The Epitaph Rift, SH6, after scaling and explosives work to reduce the risk of rockfall onto the highway, 27 March, 2025:
Micropile retaining wall below road level next stage
The focus on site now shifts to the construction of a micropile retaining wall below road level.
“This work started mid-March and is expected to continue through to May 2025, subject to weather. The team is working on the construction of 110 metres of micropiles, down to depths of up to nine metres, to support the outside shoulder of the road around the head scarp of the historic landslide below the road,” says Miss Whinham.
The machinery needed to install the piles takes up a full highway lane, which will restrict traffic movements past this site, but for short periods of time.
From Friday, 4 April, there will be 24/7, single lane Stop/Go traffic management in place past this historic slip site.
People are asked to continue to plan their journeys with extra time built in, as there may be up to 30-minute delays during work hours at the site as the machinery moves around. Delays outside work hours will be around five minutes.
This next stage of work is likely to continue through May, aiming to increase the strength of the road shoulder at this section of highway.
* Updates on timing at Epitaph here:
https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/highway-conditions/west-coast/roadworks/488229(external link)
Epitaph rift and slip sites, north of Haast, south-west of Paringa:
