Contractors racing to clear a slip that has cut off State Highway 1 at the Brynderwyns expect to have both lanes open in time for the weekend.
The underslip, about 20m long in the northbound lane on the south side of the hill, had fallen away leaving an 8m drop
to the ground below and happened less than 48 hours after the reopening of SH1 south of Kawakawa following round-the-clock work on a temporary bypass.
The NZ Transport Agency said it plans to have SH1 on the Brynderwyn Hills re-opened to all vehicles tomorrow evening, weather permitting.
The hole the slip had created had now been filled and contractors were now repairing the patch of road, with a metal base, asphalt and markings still to be laid.
NZTA spokeswoman Jacqui Hori-Hoult said it had been earlier hoped one lane could have been opened this week, but detailed inspections indicated the under-slip was larger than first thought.
