The slip on Gladstone Rd happened early this morning.
The slip on Gladstone Rd happened early this morning.
The Gladstone Rd community in Levin has been cut off from the outside world by yet another slip forcing residents to use a dangerous alternative route.
Horowhenua District Council communications officer Trish Hayward said contractors were on site to assess the situation at 9.30am this morning. It was not knownthe exact time the slip occurred, but it was some time in the early hours of the morning.
"They've had a safety briefing, and undertaken risk analysis and are starting to clear the slip," she said.
"They are taking a precautionary approach as it is raining and it is suspected the face of the slip is still unstable."
Hayward said they were waiting for more information at this stage, but indications were the road would not be blocked for an extended period.
The council had contacted all residents, either in person, by email or over the phone, she said.
"At this stage, we are satisfied with the welfare of residents and will continue to keep them up to date."
There were initial concerns held for a resident who was 39 weeks pregnant, but the Horowhenua District Council received information that the family was out of the district at the time, she said.
The constant danger of falling rocks and debris saw the district council make an urgent decision to realign the road at a meeting earlier this year. The road was used by river residents and recreational swimmers - and a school bus - each day.
The work was earmarked as urgent with the council acting on expert advice that showed there was a strong likelihood of further slips occurring on a road that was prone to large rockfalls, similar to one that cut off dozens of houses for weeks in January 2017.
The 2017 slip resulted in huge quantities of rocks and debris blocking the road and falling into the stream below. It was initially cleared, but dangerous debris continued to fall weeks after.
The alternative road was a steep and muddy track laden with slippery pine needles that was best suited to offroad vehicles.
The slip on Gladtone Rd near Levin has blocked off residents again.
Residents spoken to by Horowhenua Chronicle were philosophical about the disruption and were sympathetic with the council in its efforts to fix the problem.
Makahika Outdoor Pursuits Centre owner John Duxfield, whose business attracts an average of 100 children a week, said slips had occurred after periods of wet weather for the last 15 years.
Duxfield said the road was unstable with several little slips in the last few years requiring rocks and debris to be moved.
"Council and contractors have been great in terms of their response, and have done everything they can to manage the realities and obvious risks," he said.
"Everyone in the valley appreciates that it is not going to happen overnight ... we are used to it and coping with the realities of it."
The river community did its best stay in contact with each other and the council had a list of contacts to ensure information was shared quickly.
John Olifent had lived up the river for many years and wasn't surprised to be cut off by another slip given the heavy rainfall this week.
"I cleaned rocks off the road yesterday. The heavy rain is always a forerunner to another slip," he said.
Olifent said he still had power and a phone line, although there was a power pole that had gone down.
"The people up here love it and it's a price to pay for living in paradise," he said.
He supported council efforts to build an alternative route.
"The current road is unsupportable and unmaintainable in a cost sense. You can't continue to pour money into a road that's not going to hang in there," he said.
The council was investigating the realignment of more than a kilometre of Gladstone Rd on the opposite side of the Omahu Stream, acting on geotechnical advice that showed there were likely to be further landslips.
The new section of road would include two single-lane bridges and would eliminate the risk of landslides.
At the meeting earlier this year councillors voted unanimously to the purchase of 29.5 hectares required for the realignment.
Since the 2017 slip maintenance had cost the council an estimated $220,000 and realigning the road would avoid future costs associated with further slips.
Cost estimates would be confirmed during a due diligence process although the council's burden could be as low as 20 per cent as the project qualified for assistance from a NZ Transport Authority (NZTA) fund.
