One of Wanaka’s main thoroughfares closed by a mudslide from a construction site a week ago has now reopened.
A Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) spokesman said in a statement one lane of Lakeside Rd would open to traffic under stop go traffic control from 3.30pm today.
A landslip which had been blocking the road since last Thursday night has been cleared from the road and concrete buttress wall installed by contractors allowing the Queenstown Lakes District Council to open one lane of traffic.
QLDC communications adviser Jimmy Sygrove said there was still no no confirmed timeline for when two lanes will be open to traffic.
The council was still working with the Marina Terrace Apartment developers to reopen the road to traffic and were happy the current solution was safe for motorists.
If there was any change in stability of the development site or risk to traffic and pedestrians the road would be immediately closed
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.
QLDC communications and engagement manager said yesterday 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.
"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.
