Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advised on 1st March that the main route from Raglan to the Waikato should reopen to the public on Saturday. The Agency says this is in spite of heavy rain affecting road surfacing work earlier in the week. The highway closed on 1 February, after the slip developed on the section known as the Raglan Deviation or Divvy. Raglan businesses suffered from the closure. While most survived one had to shut.
In Raglan, excitement on the reopening is building with a local real estate business planning a BBQ in Bow Street. There is also talk about a book being published about a cat called Earl who supervised construction of the temporary diversion road that has allowed the highway to reopen.
– Image Waka Kotahi
The final pavement work is underway, meaning people will soon be travelling on a two-lane temporary diversion road on private property, which skirts the serious slip that closed State Highway 23. A speed restriction of 60km/h will apply over the diversion road.
“We are delighted that this diversion road is almost ready to open, restoring road access for all traffic on this crucial link between Raglan and Hamilton, as we know how important it is to people in this community,”
“Our aim is to get this road open by midday Saturday. If we can open it earlier, we will. Road users should keep an eye on the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner and our Facebook page for updates.
“This could not have been done without the generous co-operation of the landowners, or without the herculean efforts of our work team, who put in many long hours to make this solution a reality.
“Within days of the initial slip, we were able to begin tree felling and the earthworks needed to construct the temporary diversion road.”
Cara Lauder, Waka Kotahi System Manager for the Waikato.
The new temporary road is raised to protect the fibre optic cable running under the site. The cable was not exposed by the slip, and the ground over it was covered with protective metal plates while the tree felling and earthworks were under way.
The temporary diversion road will open with a speed restriction of 60km/h but will add only minimal extra time to the journey between Raglan and Whatawhata.
Waka Kotahi’s Ms Lauder says that the slump is still active. “It continues to move, and geotechnical testing, including drilling and core penetration, is ongoing. We have not yet got the full picture of how Cyclone Gabrielle has impacted the site, and the ground was already saturated due to the unprecedented rainfall over January.’’
The slip significantly worsened after Cyclone Gabrielle; a section of the highway nearly 30m long has dropped around 2.5m, and the slip has crossed over the centreline.
“The temporary diversion road allows us the time we need to thoroughly investigate and plan the long-term restoration of SH23,” Ms Lauder adds.
While SH23 was closed, Waka Kotahi contractors Fulton Hogan had taken the opportunity to bring forward some planned resurfacing work to a steep section of the highway further west. This was completed in time for the opening of the diversion road, preventing further disruptions for people travelling on the route. Earthworks on the temporary diversion road were halted on the morning of Sunday 12 February due to a serious incident on a nearby worksite. Waka Kotahi is deeply saddened by the fatality that resulted. The safety of the people carrying out work on the roads and the safety of all road users are the top priorities when managing traffic through worksites. The site is under full investigation and the matter is with NZ Police and Worksafe.