Northbank Rd northwest of Blenheim has officially reopened to two-lane traffic, nearly four months after it was buried by a huge slip.
The road was opened to two lanes under a reduced speed of 30km/h on Friday, just in time for Marlborough Anniversary Weekend.
Marlborough Roads transport recovery manager Steve Murrin said it was satisfying to be able to remove the traffic lights.
“This week crews completed work on stabilising the slip including hydroseeding and removing the last of the material that was still sitting on Northbank Rd,” he said.
“This has been a complex site with 28,536 cubic metres of material removed from the slip face.”
The slip came down on June 30, about 2km from where the road meets State Highway 6, amid heavy rain that struck the entire top of the south.
It left 250 residents partially cut off, only able to drive through for about an hour in the morning and evening and was fully closed during subsequent weather events.
The continuous movement of the slip proved a challenge to road recovery efforts, but the road was been slowly reopened for longer periods, such as during weekends.
Three new culverts still need to be installed, and the slip-damaged road surface will need to be resealed, but Murrin said that could be done with temporary traffic management.
Those works will continue from Tuesday between 7am and 6pm.
“It’s still possible that we could have up to 30-minute delays between 9am and 4pm to get that work completed. This will be managed under stop/go controls. The aim is to have the site fully completed by November 14,” Murrin said.
Several other sites along Northbank Rd are in need of repairs. Murrin said a programme for these sites would be confirmed this month.
If there were any changes or if the road was deemed unsafe and closed, an update would be sent via Antenno and the Marlborough District Council website.
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
