Recently completed work at Site G on Otoko Hill included the use of shotcrete (a type of sprayed concrete) and soil nails (reinforced steel bars installed in pre-drilled holes) to repair an underslip to strengthen the roadside.
Recently completed work at Site G on Otoko Hill included the use of shotcrete (a type of sprayed concrete) and soil nails (reinforced steel bars installed in pre-drilled holes) to repair an underslip to strengthen the roadside.
State Highway 2 on Cyclone Gabrielle-ravaged Otoko Hill is planned to be fully restored to use by Labour Weekend while other SH2 and SH35 repairs are scheduled for completion mid-2026.
Transport Rebuild East Coast (Trec) project lead Richard Bayley told the Gisborne Herald the “stretch target” for completing Otoko Hillwas the end of October or Labour weekend.
“That is what we are aiming for. The current programme has us completing Otoko Hill by Christmas. However, our stretch target is Labour weekend.”
Trec recovery work on Otoko Hill began in June 2024.
The Trec alliance of NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, Fulton Hogan, Downer and Higgins, working alongside local contractors, is carrying out post-Cyclone Gabrielle recovery work to restore the district’s two state highways back to two lanes the whole way and to keep communities connected.
At the peak of Otoko Hill, driving towards Ōpōtiki,there had been “real problems” for contractors working in the area, Bayley told the Herald.
The many tree stumps visible from the road showed the danger that falling trees posed to workers, he said.
“There were many frustrating closures because they weren’t big slips.”
There were 11 work sites on Otoko Hill and seven had been completed, he said.
Work has involved repairing retaining walls, installing counterfort drains to reduce water pressure and road movement, removing trees, constructing buttresses to build back roadsides and repairing road surfaces.
One-lane sections and traffic lights still exist on Otoko Hill.
Two Otoko Hill sites are active and are expected to be completed in July.
Site B is the installation of drainage to remove water from the hills to prevent movement in the road while at Site J, workers are repairing a retaining wall and installing drainage.
Work is expected to start on the remaining sites, M and K, in late July.
Site K is a large fault that is part of a historic landslip that reactivated, while Site M is the repairing of a slip and installing drainage.
Bayley said work would not “wind down” after Otoko Hill was completed.
There would be a transformation “from a lot of small sites” to the four main project sites, he said.
Those projects consist of a similar amount of work but are concentrated on four sites:
Hākanui (Nesbitt’s Dip) – SH2
Hikuwai Bridge – SH35
Rototahe – SH35
Mangahauini Gorge – SH35
The work is expected to be completed in mid-2026.
“We’re on track to have all recovery work completed on the state highways by then,” Bayley said.
The work would reduce the number of road closures and return “a big saving” to the local economy, he said.
Hākanui had flooded about 20 times in the last 10 years, while Rototahe flooded more often.
The work also provided benefits for civil defence, Bayley said.
The Hākanui project would provide a buffer of “multiple hours” for Te Karaka residents before any evacuation might be required, while the Rototahe project would provide full access to Tolaga Bay.
A goal for Trec was to have 50% of work delivered by local contractors, but the actual figure was 80%, Bayley said.
Local contractors include Jesse James, Richie Civil, Currie Construction, Earthwork Solutions, Inline, GroundFix, ProTraffic, JT Contractors and Universal Engineering.
Trec senior project manager Fred Witton said staff across Trec, NZTA and contractors formed a skilled workforce completing demanding work in what was sometimes a challenging work environment.
There are 137 Trec people (fulltime equivalent) working alongside local contractor teams across Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay.
By the end of May, a total of 1,530,411 people hours had been worked.
