State Highway 25A – Full fix may take a year

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency have stated that there are three main options for reinstating this highway including building a:

1. bridge replacing the lost section of road
2. deviation which bypasses the slip site
3. a retaining wall and effectively rebuild the road from the ground up. 

Of these three options Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency cannot confirm which option is most feasible as yet.

The right solution cannot be established until the geotech work is complete. We know the rebuild must be resilient and as timely as possible. We understand how critical this highway is for Coromandel residents, businesses, and visitors.

Jo Wilton – Regional Manager of Infrastructure Delivery, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

Geotechnical engineers are continuing their critical assessments. There has been some further deterioration of the slip site following Cyclone Gabrielle. Some cracks across the road near each edge of the slip have widened, but there has been no further movement at this stage.

The Hikuai side of the slip is high and possibly unstable. Assessment of the stability of this slope is underway.

The next steps are to construct a temporary track, to allow access for a geotech drilling rig up to the site of a potential deviation above the slip area. Another access track also needs to be formed to the base of the slip where a retaining wall could be founded, but the ground is too wet to do this yet. Until Waka Kotahi staff can get a rig in significant testing can't be done.

The current focus is to build the tracks so the geotechnical assessments can be completed. It is anticipated these tracks will be in place in approximately two weeks – subject to the weather.

Ms Wilton – Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

SH25A was closed on Friday 27 January to ensure the safety of road users, following the formation of deep cracks in the road after Ex-Cyclone Hale. The cracked section of the road at the summit slipped away during the Auckland Anniversary storm event.