Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
Up to nine weeks of night closures will begin next month to carry out urgent repairs to a challenging underslip on the Featherston side of the Remutaka Hill.
Mark Owen, Regional Manager Lower North Island / Top of the South, says the underslip, which occurred earlier this month, is severe and requires immediate action.
“We need to stabilise the slip and build a retaining wall to protect the road. This will need a substantial construction effort.”
“The slip is at one of the road’s narrowest sections. Because of the work involved, the equipment needed to do the work, and keeping workers and the public safe, the road will have to be closed.” Mr Owen says.
Most of the work will be done under night closures beginning Monday, 7 October and will continue for approximately eight to nine weeks. The road will be closed between 9 pm and 4 am, Sunday to Thursday nights, but will remain open to one lane on Friday and Saturday nights.
A 24/7 stop go will remain in place during the day to protect drivers and ongoing work by road crews. Drivers must be prepared for daytime travel delays.
Mr Owen says a call has been made to repair the road as quickly as possible and night closures are the best approach.
“The Remutaka Hill is a critical transport link, which we can’t afford to have compromised. It is essential we fix this underslip before the end of the year and the summer holidays, and before KiwiRail carries out work on the Wairarapa railway line, which will see bus replacement services using the Remutaka Hill route.”
“A full closure narrows the window of risk from bad weather further damaging the site. It also allows work crews to complete the repairs more efficiently,” Mr Owen says.
Night closures also reduce the amount of disruption drivers will have to contend with.
Mr Owen says while over 7,000 vehicles use State Highway 2 Remutaka Hill daily, on average, just over 250 use the route at night.
“The work required would take over six months to complete if carried out during the day under stop/go and cause greater delays and inconvenience for drivers. Night closures let us complete the job in about a third of that time.”
“We will also use the closures to complete other works such as maintenance activities, drainage, and resurfacing where possible,” Mr Owen says.
Escorted crossings will be available over the Remutaka Hill during the closures. But Mr Owen warns there will only be one crossing in each direction per night at midnight.
“This is fewer than we do during our normal planned maintenance closures. However, we need to keep the site shutdowns to an absolute minimum so we can finish the work as quickly as possible.”
“It means drivers must plan carefully and book crossings in advance. With the only available detour a three-hour trip via the Pahiatua Track or Saddle Road, this is something we want drivers to avoid if they can,” Mr Owen says.
Crossings can be booked via the NZTA/Waka Kotahi website:
Remutaka Hill closure escort booking form(external link)
Work Schedule and Escorted Crossings:
- Monday, 7 October to early December. This work is weather-dependent.
- SH2 Remutaka Hill closed to all traffic – Sunday to Thursday nights, 9 pm – 4 am. No work on Friday and Saturday nights.
- The work site will be open to one lane under stop/go traffic management during the day.
- Escorted crossings are available during closure nights but must be booked in advance.
- Bookings can be made online on the NZTA website
Remutaka Hill closure escort booking form(external link) - Bookings are essential – If you have a genuine emergency on the night, the hill manager will decide how best to help you.
- The escorted crossings are for light vehicles only. To keep our contractors safe, heavy vehicles can’t be accommodated.
- Full access is always available for emergency services.
More Information:
- The slip is on the Featherston side of the Remutaka Hill, approximately five minutes’ drive from Featherston.
- It was first identified on Thursday, 12 September and has been under stop/go traffic management and a lane closure since Friday, 13 September.
- It is unsafe for vehicles to drive next to the slip, which is why only one-way traffic can travel past the slip site.
- The environment of the slip site is extremely narrow, making it challenging to work in. As the underslip site is active on the northbound lane, heavy machinery can only use the southbound lane.
- It would cause extreme congestion and safety hazards for road users to continue travelling through the site under stop/go traffic controls while heavy machinery is being used in the southbound lane.
- Other maintenance work will be carried out on the route while the night closures are in place.
