Urgent slip repairs on road to Kāwhia tomorrow - expect delays

View from below the slip looking up towards the road.

Urgent repairs on SH31 Kāwhia Road will see all traffic halted for 10-minute intervals on Wednesday, February 22.

Contractors need a clear road space above an under-slip to get quick-setting concrete into a large cavity on the left-hand shoulder.

The first delivery of concrete will be at 9am and is expected to take about 10 minutes to pump in. Once this layer has dried, a second layer will be added.

“This is only a very quick short-term fix to help prevent water from getting into the crack and making the slip worse. A long-term solution is being developed,” says Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency system manager for Waikato, Cara Lauder.

The under-slip is 20 kilometres west of the corner of SH31 and SH39 at Tihiroa.

The crack on the road shoulder will be temporarily bonded with small amounts of quick-setting concrete.

“We will continue to monitor the site while the long-term solution is designed and implemented,” Cara says.

“SH31 is the route in and out of Kāwhia – and there are no sealed alternatives. We want to keep this road open until comprehensive repairs can be completed, providing it remains safe to do so.”

About 800 vehicles a day use Kāwhia Road, and around 13 per cent are trucks.