“We want to keep traffic as far away from the underslip as possible and ensure it’s safe,” Lauder says.
“Convoys were allowed through for short periods today to help relieve some pressure on the community, but we needed to keep the road shut for the majority of the day to ensure we got as much work done as possible.”
Road users should expect a similar pattern tomorrow. The road will close again from around 9am to continue the benching works into the bank. It will re-open for an hour around lunchtime to give drivers a short window to get through.
“The underslip is unstable, and we appreciate everyone’s patience with this evolving situation. We understand how frustrating it is.
“We’re working as fast as possible to give road users a safe way through here,” Lauder says.
Geotech investigations continue tomorrow and will help inform a permanent fix for the section of the highway that has fallen away.
The road was originally closed early on Monday morning following a washout caused by heavy rain over the weekend.
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