Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
With the leaves falling in Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes Districts, the autumn rockfall scaling programme at the Nevis Bluff, on SH6 between Cromwell and Queenstown, will get underway shortly, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).
The rock scaling occurs every autumn and spring with abseilers, suspended on ropes, inspecting the rocky face and removing loosened rocks that are hazardous to highway users many metres below.
Sensor installation on Arch Column, part of the Nevis Bluff, spring of 2024.
Wayo Carson, one of the most experienced rock scalers working on the Nevis Bluff, doing an extensometer measurement in 2021 (An extensometer provides an accurate measuring tape in millimetres to 4 decimal places).
“People should be ready for delays up to about ten minutes and allow some extra travel time for journeys between Cromwell and Queenstown,” says Peter Standring, NZTA Maintenance and Contract Manager in Central Otago.
The work is scheduled to take place over three weeks from Monday, 5 May, through to Friday, 23 May, 8 am to 5 pm weekdays, subject to weather conditions.
“We know these delays can be frustrating, but we’re asking people to be patient and to understand that they are necessary to ensure their safety, which is our number one concern,” says Mr Standring.
Abseilers working over the rocky schist faces aim to release rock, loosened by the ongoing erosion, in a controlled way when there is no traffic on the highway.
This work is part of NZTA’s ongoing monitoring and management programme for the Nevis Bluff, which is continuously monitoring movement and changes on the geologically complex bluff.
The Nevis Bluff is about half-way between Cromwell and Queenstown – 25 minutes from Cromwell, 35 minutes from Queenstown.
Work on the cycle trail, currently under construction, will be paused for a few days while the abseilers are overhead.
NZTA thanks everyone for their patience and for taking care while this important safety work is completed leading into the busy winter period.
