22 December 2021

Hinekura Road, a road which serves a number of farming households east of Martinborough, slipped again on December 18 due to heavy rains.

The Council has only recently held a meeting with residents to discuss a timeline for a remediation plan which was set to be finished by March/April next year.

During the weekend, locals alerted Council and Council staff acted quickly to close the road to all traffic.  The slip is a reasonable size, around a metre across and several metres to the west.

Work is on track to have the road open by Friday. The current expert recommendation is to restrict access and only allow light vehicles through.

In the meantime, Admiral Road, although not ideal, is open and accessible as an alternative route. 

This new hurdle follows slips in 2020 and again in June 2021 when the road sub-surface was undermined by water coming down the hill above.

The latest slip is disappointing and the Council recognises the considerable impact that the ongoing issues are having on the lives of residents and other users of the road.

Engineers and roading crews are working around the clock to open the road to light vehicles before Christmas. The solution must be safe, guaranteeing public health and safety.

See the July 7 2021 report to Council for a breakdown of the problem here.

What is the plan?

The Hinekura action plan is as follows:

1. Drain the uphill dam in a controlled manner.

2. Provide temporary water supply to the property owner.

3. Install new culvert/s.

4. Install sub-soil drains in road to drain as much ground water as possible.

5. Remove and stockpile compromised(cracked/shifted) pavement material.

6. Build up pavement subgrade using limestone boulders.

7.  Re-instate stockpiled pavement material over boulders.

8. Mechanically stabilise the pavement material with the use of geogrid geotextile material.

9.  Advise road users that the road is not suitable for heavy vehicles.

10. Continue to monitor the area for further movement.

What is the current situation?

As at 21 December:
* All works started as planned.
* The dam is being drained.
* Excavation and construction have started and are progressing well.

The Council will monitor how the road responds to construction and light traffic and then potentially review its recommendation.