Traffic on Eastern Hutt Rd has been chaotic at times with road closures caused by slips. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Traffic on Eastern Hutt Rd has been chaotic at times with road closures caused by slips. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Lower Hutt residents trapped in traffic for more than an hour every morning just to leave their suburb will have a quicker commute tomorrow as a lane leaving the area is reopened.
Two southbound lanes leaving Stokes Valley were closed about two months ago when heavy rain brought large slipsdown on the hills above Eastern Hutt Rd, threatening the homes above.
Since then the road has been reduced to one lane in each direction, meaning locals are sitting in sprawling queues to get to work and school in the morning.
The new road layout. Photo / Supplied
One man who lives near the end of the suburb said a crash further into Lower Hutt caused so much chaos it took him an hour and 45 minutes to leave Stokes Valley.
Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry today said another southbound lane was due to reopen this afternoon, meaning morning traffic levels should hopefully return to normal.
He earlier said the slip zones were "continuing to create issues".
"There's ongoing land movement and cracks and springs coming through as they're doing the work," he said.
Council had to continuously seek new advice from engineers as they progressed with clearing the area.
In a statement online, Hutt City Council said there would be a new road layout.
Homes above the slips had to be evacuated. Photo / Supplied
"The traffic lights will no longer be operating on the northern part of the road, because the new traffic layout will enable the free flow of commuters out of the Stokes Valley roundabout," the statement said.
"We will continue to monitor traffic flows and will advise of any changes."
A temporary speed restriction will remain in place.
"Some sections of the lane closest to the slip are needed for containers and concrete barriers. These sections will continue to be closed for some time as we work on a permanent solution to the slips. This includes ongoing liaison with property owners in the area."
