The Manawatu Gorge looks set to remain closed for
up to two more months, with transport officials saying they can do
little more than wait for the slip-prone hillside to stabilise.
State
Highway 3 through the gorge - a key road between the lower North Island
and Hawke's Bay - has been closed since a slip in August blocked the
road.
The New Zealand Transport Authority (NZTA) is now looking to
upgrade the route to prevent slip closures in future, and it's also
taken over management of the two alternative routes.
NZTA regional
state highways manager David McGonigal says he understands that
motorists are frustrated at the length of the gorge closure.
"We'd
love to say for sure when it's going to open, but until we know that,
we're committed to doing everything we can to ease the pain.
"We
need to bring much more unstable material down from high up on the slope
and we'll be hoping for some more rain to help bring it down," he said.
Five companies, including geological specialists, were helping NZTA find solutions to stop the land moving.
The
ongoing slips were at the site of a much bigger ancient landslide,
where the unstable hillside was made up of silty, sandy gravel, large
boulders and areas of greywacke rock, Mr McGonigal said.
"We're up
against the forces of nature here, and to some extent we have to wear
it on the chin, and that's not easy to accept when you've got an
important highway that's shut."
NZTA announced on Tuesday it would
also take over control and maintenance of the alternative routes
through Saddle Road and the Pahiatua Track.
The detours, which add around 20 minutes to travel times, had been maintained by council contractors.
NZN