Manawatu Gorge road closure 4.11.08

[Beemer]

New Zealand Police Alert 9:00am 4 Nov 2008 Central

Location of incident: Manawatu Gorge

Incident type: Road Closure

The Manawatu Gorge is currently closed to all traffic due to a large slip blocking both lanes. It is likely to be closed for up to 6 to 8 hours. The alternative routes are SH 2, Rimutaka Hill to Wellington or Pahiatua Track to Palmerston North. Motorists are advised to drive with care on these roads and be aware that there may be delays.

[Beemer]

Just got an updated report:

The Manawatu Gorge remains closed due to a slip. It is not likely to reopen untill 1500hrs tomorrow (Wednesday 5th November) Issued By: Supervising Sergeant Stephen Ross

[Bonez]

Just remember folks there is the Saddle road.......

[Beemer]

Huge slip forces gorge closure
By JONATHON HOWE - Manawatu Standard | Wednesday, 05 November 2008

The Manawatu Gorge will be closed for several days after an estimated 5000 cubic metres of rocks, dirt and debris crashed on to the road.

The landslide, in the same spot as the biggest of the 2004 slips, is the fourth to hit the gorge in the past two weeks.

Contractors set to work moving debris after the slip occurred at 8.30am yesterday.

Two loaders ladled debris on to the eight trucks positioned at both sides of the slip.

One of the contractors, Kerry Robb, managed to drive a digger up the unstable mound to move the debris down.

Mr Robb has a lot of experience in the gorge; he cleared many of the five slips that came down in the 2004 floods, and worked on the huge slip of 1995 that closed the gorge for 67 days.

Workmate Steve Nixon said it took guts to drive up on to the 50m-high pile. "That's really soft, so imagine if it slipped."

He was also worried that forecasted bad weather would hamper the clean-up. "If it gets worse we'll stay out and let mother nature do her thing."

New Zealand Transport Agency regional manager Errol Christiansen said the aim was to open the road before the weekend.

"Engineers will be carrying out thorough investigations of the site over the next couple of days."

The slip was caused by heavy rainfall saturating the slope, he said.

"The Manawatu Gorge is a challenging stretch of highway, we keep a vigilant patrol on this route, and we do expect these things to happen from time to time when the weather takes a turn for the worst." Mr Christiansen said.

The Saddle Road and Pahiatua Track are alternative routes.

[ynot slow]

Much more fun on a bike than a car or truck the detours are.