Source: Auckland Council
Rodney’s most comprehensive and costly flood recovery road repair is complete after 20 months of construction.
Ahuroa Road in Pūhoi was severely damaged in early 2023 with eight large slip sites occurring during the 2023 major storm events. The road was closed to all but residents, and a major slip at the top of the road effectively split the community in half, leaving some residents and families with a long commute to work and school.
“We’re very pleased to have completed the repair of the last of the major slips and returned the road to the community,” says Alan Wallace, GM Road Asset Maintenance and Renewals at Auckland Transport.
“Downer NZ and Mason Contractors construction teams have worked through all sorts of weather conditions to carry out these repairs in difficult terrain. The largest was a highly technical $6.6 million concrete palisade wall with 166 piles (12-17 metres deep) and 480 metres of soil nail anchors installed to stabilise the site.”
“Ahuroa Road sustained severe damage and the repairs were a high priority, we understood the impact the road closure had on the closely connected rural community,” said Samantha Riley, Contract Manager at Downer NZ.
“We’re extremely pleased with the outcome, and grateful to be a part of reconnecting the pathway between Pūhoi and Ahuroa. A key achievement for us was enabling some of our youngest community members, children, to safely return to Ahuroa School.”
Rodney Local Board Chair Brent Bailey thanks the Pūhoi community for their patience while the very complex road repairs were undertaken.
“Our Pūhoi community has been severely impacted because of the substantial damage caused by the storms. It has taken a long time to fix and reopen this road because of the difficult terrain and the challenges caused by the many slips including this major slip.
“Huge thanks to Auckland Transport and the roading contractors who have worked tirelessly to engineer solutions and restore this important access for our community.”
Road maintenance sealing, which is outside the scope of the flood recovery repairs, is scheduled to be completed at a later date.
Watch a one-minute project summary video on YouTube.
