Wellington traffic: Busy road to reopen five years after landslide

Work on the Ngaio Gorge stabilisation project in October. Photo / WCC

The end is in sight more than five years after a significant landslide closed a busy commuter road into Wellington.

Large boulders and rubble came down on Ngaio Gorge Rd in 2017, forcing Wellington City Council to build a shipping container wall filled with concrete blocks to act as a barrier.

The two-lane road has been down to one lane at the slip site while work is undertaken to stabilise the slope above.

Contractors were hoping for a dry winter to complete this by December but unfortunately, Wellington’s weather didn’t play ball and the project’s been pushed out until early next year.

It ended up being the wettest winter on record. Greater Wellington Regional Council figures revealed rainfall in July alone was up 200 per cent on long-term seasonal averages.

Hundreds of more minor slips came down across the city as a result. The city council received 1143 calls reporting slips throughout July and August – three times the amount of last year, and six times the amount of 2020.

The slip on Ngaio Gorge Road in Wellington came down in 2017. Photo / WCC

In a recent update on the Ngaio Gorge stabilisation project, the city council advised the wet weather had caused delays.

It’s now expected to be completed by mid-February next year, which also accounts for a shutdown period from December 22 to January 15 for the holidays.

This latest delay is one of many.

Work was originally scheduled to start in March 2020 but was delayed due to the first Covid-19 lockdown.

It then had to be rescheduled until October so sleepy lizards could be re-homed in the appropriate season.

The construction team had to wait for the lizards to come out of hibernation so they could be moved out of harm’s way before work could start.

They then encountered further delays due to the Delta and Omicron outbreaks.

The road is an important commuter route for those living in Wellington’s northern suburbs and a critical route if Ngauranga Gorge ever became blocked to traffic.

The cost of the project is $11 million, which is being shared between Waka Kotahi and the council.

Containers were used as barriers after the slip came down on Ngaio Gorge Rd in Wellington. Photo / WCC