Lemon's Hill slip repairs in Bay of Islands almost over

Major earthworks at the Lemon's Hill slip on SH11 are now complete. Photo / John Stone

Work on a slip-plagued section of highway between Kawakawa and Paihia is expected to be completed in the next few weeks — more than six months after a massive landslide.

State Highway 11 was closed by a slip at Lemon's Hill on February 13, forcing traffic to take the long way around via SH10 for two months.

Since then huge amounts of loose rock and soil have been removed, with some of it used in earthworks for the new Te Hononga community centre in Kawakawa.

NZ Transport Agency Northland manager Jacqui Hori-Hoult said slip clearance work was now complete and all heavy machinery had been removed from the site.

When contractors had finished painting road markings the highway would be fully re-opened with its usual 80km/h speed limit.

Motorists were still advised to follow speed advisory signs in the area and drive to the conditions.

For about two days in the next few weeks, depending on weather, stop/go traffic management would be in place while workers completed stormwater drain installation and routine maintenance.