In June 2015 the Southland District Council closed part of the Chaslands Highway in the Catlins with traffic being diverted down the Tahakopa Valley Road when initially, cracks appeared then soon after half of the road collapsed. One lane was opened for traffic in July 2015.
In October 2018 it was announced that the Chaslands Highway slip repair will be further delayed.
Southland District Council managed the repairs to the coastal route in the Catlins, between Balclutha and Invercargill. Work to restore it to full use began during winter that year.
However, roading contractors Fulton and Hogan undertaking the work for the New Zealand Transport Agency, which icompletely fundied the project, encountered a problem in June-July, council services and assets manager Matt Russell said. Work stopped for 10 weeks because there was too much ground water to carry out the repairs. The earth was moving, making the ground unstable with conditions too dangerous to continue, he said.
To get around the problem, the contractors installed sheet piling, sections of sheet materials with interlocking edges that are driven into the ground to provide earth retention, and excavation support so that drilling and other stabilisation work could take place. The original estimate for the job was $1.7 million but this figure was likely to change because of the change in methodology, he said.
Work was originally expected to be completed by the end of 2018 year but had been pushed out into the first quarter of the next year. The repair allowed for additional width on this sharp bend of road, but there was no scope in the project to widen other sections of road.
Council commented "The slip has been there so long it's not going to matter if it is a few months longer."
When you arrive at GZ you will understand the enormity faced to repair the section!
cache is a magnetic mint tin, not GL. Please replace as found. BYOP
NOTE: Parking is best approached from the south, you will come across it quickly as the road is winding so be prepared.
*It is suggested that downloading offline maps for this and others in the area as reception is fairly non-existant.