State Highway 85 inland from Dunedin, between Palmerston and Kyeburn, will reopen on Friday by 7pm, Waka Kotahi/ NZ Transport Agency said today.
Crews have been working hard to install drainage improvements near the Gold Fields plaque, on a stretch of highway commonly called the Pigroot connecting Central Otago, Dunedin and Oamaru.
For the past month, road users who normally travel via the highway have had to use a detour, adding an extra 30 minutes to their journey.
A section of hillside has been slipping for many years requiring regular intervention to maintain the highway's surface and keep road users safe, Jennifer McLean, Maintenance contract manager for Waka Kotahi, said today.
Since August 29, this section of SH85 has been closed to install deep, counterfort or trench drains to help take water away from the slip site and improve the hillside’s stability.
“One main trench, six metres deep, was excavated and drainage installed, through the road. The trench was filled and the shoulder of the road was reinstated with 3500 cubic metres of material,” Ms McLean said.
The final stages included reinstating the guardrail and some final drainage works in nearby paddocks. The patch in the road will be sealed in the last week of September, next week, if weather stays dry.
Care needed as road not yet sealed
State Highway 85 will be reopened to all traffic, including HPMVs (high productivity motor vehicles), by 7pm on Friday.
However, care is needed until the new surface is completed, swept and line marking is in place in a week or two.
“Please continue to take care in this area, expect some minor delays and adhere to warnings and temporary speed restrictions while the last stages are completed,” Ms McLean said.
“Thanks to everyone for working around this four-week closure so we could put in place a more lasting fix to the drainage issue.
"We know it has been inconvenient for many regular highway users and residents.”
