The project, under the direction of the Waitaki District Council and managed by Bruce Wheeler, is using volunteers and machinery provided by people in the Moeraki area in a bid to reopen the road which has been closed to traffic for more than 18 months.
Bedevilled by slips and slumps for decades, the road has been costly to maintain but, despite being a roller-coaster ride, has always been kept open.
The council closed it after heavy rain caused a major slip, and put in a detour around Tenby St, which upset local people.
The project would cover about 400m of the closed portion of Haven St, Mr Wheeler said.
Yesterday's work was to clear drainage using a digger, then monitor it beneath the centre of the slip area.
The work was expected to take two days in total, but when it would be finished would depend on the weather.
How the work will progress will be known only after the completion of the drainage investigation.
The community's determination to reopen the road led to the formation of a group to work with the council and manage offers of help and material from local people to undertake the work under the supervision of an engineer.
