Wanaka slip: One lane of mudslide road expected to open

Marina Terrace apartment developers start work late yesterday to remove mudslide debris blocking Lakeside Rd and install concrete blocks at the road edge. Photo / Kerrie Waterworth.

One of Wanaka's main thoroughfares closed by a mudslide from a construction site a week ago is expected to have one lane open for traffic today.

Dominion Constructors project manager Jason Buehler said they were given the go ahead yesterday afternoon to remove the mud from Lakeside Rd where it had slipped from an apartment development site seven nights ago.

Queenstown Lakes District Council communications and engagement manager Naell Crosby-Roe said the developers of Marina Terrace Apartments  and their contractors had provided the district council with a plan to clear the landslide.

He said the initial work by the developers would create a channel  through the slip on the eastbound lane of the road and a temporary concrete retaining wall would be built through the channel.

While the developers had assessed the dewatering so far had been sufficient to attempt the procedure, the council and Opus representatives would be on site to monitor the activity for any movement in the slip, he said.

blocking Lakeside Rd and install concrete blocks at the road edge. Photo: Kerrie Waterworth.

"Any such movement will require the clearing works to halt immediately whilst the situation is reassessed."

He said the first phase of the developers' work would be to clear sufficient material to reopen the westbound lane of Lakeside Rd.

Traffic management will be in place to enable managed traffic movement in both directions on the road. Mr Buehler said concrete ballast blocks would be placed in an interlocking formation along the boundary of the property and these would be supported by large Y concrete moulds.

He said he was very pleased with the "dewatering" programme over the past few days.
It had resulted in the water levels dropping and the soils drying out, creating a crust on the surface of the landslip.

He said there were now seven permanent wells to bring the water levels down to allow construction to proceed, but in the long term the water scheme had been designed into the apartment complex development.