Site 9 - temporary retaining wall at finished depth

Christmas/summer holidays

With Christmas and summer holidays just around the corner, and with overseas travel off the cards, we expect the roads will be busier than usual as holidaymakers explore their own backyards this year. Golden Bay will obviously be as popular as ever, which may lead to delays on the hill as people travel in and out.

We understand the frustration caused by Tākaka Hill repair project delays and the impact it's having on your journeys. Our construction team is doing everything it can to make repairs as quickly as possible. It's important these substantial repairs are rebuilt to be robust and resilient to future events.

Managing traffic congestion

To help ease congestion during this busy period we've adjusted the phasing of the traffic lights to keep wait times as short as possible. We'll continue to monitor this as we move into the holiday season.

Over the busy summer holiday period - when there are more roadworks and heavier traffic - we provide people with tips and tools to help plan their journeys ahead to avoid delays and frustration. You may find our online real-time Journey Planner useful when planning your next trip. Check it out at journeys.nzta.govt.nz

Please drive with care through our roadworks and follow the traffic signals which are there to keep you and the work crew safe. Please be patient and be kind - and give our workers a wave, they’ll really appreciate it!

Challenges on site

The weather has been against us over the last month, with rainfall considerably higher than normal for this time of year.

The retaining walls that will support the new road are up to 15m high – similar to a five-storey building - and are being constructed in very narrow and steep gullies, meaning access to the bottom of the walls is very tight.

And the geology of the site is equally challenging, with decomposed rock and weak soil extending to significant depths.

All of this has resulted in work proceeding more slowly than planned; and unfortunately, we will not have two lanes open this year as originally planned.

Please be assured we are working as hard and as fast as we can to have two lanes open by mid-2021. However, final completion of the hill repairs will be towards the end of 2021. Naturally, weather and events beyond our control will play an important part in achieving these milestones.

Some pluses

Last week a second site (Site 9) reached full depth and the foundation is now ready for us to start building the retaining wall. Work will soon begin placing the first layer of fill, geogrid matting and stone facing for the retaining wall.

And at Site 7 the retaining wall is being steadily raised and is now close to the level where the culvert pipe will be installed.

Free shuttle service for cyclists

We’d like to remind everyone that a free shuttle service is available to take people and their bikes safely through the work site. The shuttle currently runs from 7am to 5pm, seven days a week. Call 0800 909 696 when you arrive at either end of the lights to be picked up. The phone number is also displayed at each set of traffic lights.

Tākaka Village Market Day – Saturday 12 December, 9am-1.30pm

If you’d like to find out more about Tākaka Hill repairs, our project team will be at the Village Day Market this Saturday. Drop in and say hi, we’d love to see you and answer any questions you may have.

And finally, we thank you for your ongoing patience. We’ll be back in touch in the new year with further project updates.

Find out more

Email us at takakahill@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website nzta.govt.nz/takaka-hill