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Above: Engineers assess the site at Kopuaroa Hill
Quick recovery for Kopuaroa following more wild weather
Further serious weather for the Tairāwhiti region forced the overnight closure of State Highway 35 late last week due to surface flooding and slips.
Hard work by local contractors saw it partly open the next morning, though damage is evident in some key areas already fragile from numerous weather events on the coast this past year.
The Kopuaroa Hill Improvements project, which has been underway since September, was impacted by significant rainfall resulting in the road dropping and some slips on-site. Fortunately, having machinery already on site meant a quick recovery from the immediate damage and the road is now fully open.
The site will need one to two weeks to dry out and around three days of clean-up before work on the project can get back underway. Engineers have also been on site to assess the damage and have modified the designs to include further improvements, such as drainage areas through the site. As the project was running ahead of schedule before the weather event, the team is still on track to complete it in February 2023.
Emergency works already in progress were not compromised further as part of the recent weather, and our teams continue to work on improving the highway. Conditions remain challenging in places, so if you and your whānau are travelling around Tairāwhiti, please allow extra time for your journey and drive with care.
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