SH11 at Lemons Hill closed again tomorrow, but end of work in sight

SH11 past the Lemons Hill slip, above, will be closed again tomorrow, but the road should be open to two-way traffic by the end of next week.

State Highway 11 in the Bay of Islands will be closed again tomorrow, but the end is in sight for closures past the Lemons Hill slip.

The road will be closed on Sunday 8am–5pm to remove the remaining trees and install a culvert. The road has been closed on and off since heavy rain from ex-tropical Cyclone Fehi brought down a huge slip above the road on Lemons Hill on February 13.

"There is only about 1000 cubic metres of the slip to be removed, so we're getting close to the end," NZ Transport Agency Northland system manager Jacqui Hori-Hoult said.

The road will reopen tomorrow night to one-lane traffic under stop/go management, but the plan is to open the road to two-way traffic each night from Thursday, June 14.

From then, if the necessary work is completed, the road will be open to two lanes of traffic 24/7 from Saturday, June 16, with temporary speed limits in place. In about three weeks, the road will be reduced to one-lane traffic for a short time to install the final kerb, channelling and safety barriers.

There will be more information on this closer to the time, Hori-Hoult said.

"While the slip remediation work has continued to allow for one-lane access for motorists, it does impact the ability of crews to completely remove the slip and make the hillside safe again. We've tried to keep the needs of our customers a priority while working to finish a complex repair job. In the end I think we've managed a good compromise for everyone."

The road openings are subject to the weather and may be cancelled or amended at short notice. The detour route is via State Highways 1, 10 and 11. Drivers should allow up to 30 minutes extra for the journey between Kawakawa and Paihia