Geotech study backs closing Gorge route

Published date20 June 2022
Publication titleBush Telegraph
It will never be reopened to vehicles, but Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency has acknowledged that cyclists, horse riders and walkers are using the old route, and said while the assessment indicated a tolerable level of risk, that was on the basis of maintenance or mitigation work

Regional manager of system design Sarah Downs said they were still asking people not to proceed past the gates because that maintenance hadn’t been done.

She said that was a conversation Waka Kotahi would have with councils and other agencies over who would fund that work.

The draft assessment by engineering company Beca has yet to be peer reviewed but Downs said all indications were that the assessment confirmed initial findings.

For years, the Manawatu Gorge was the gateway between Ashhurst and Woodville, but had been plagued by slips and rockfalls, forcing a temporary closure, even up to more than a year. The decision was made in 2017 to close the Gorge permanently.

Last year, Waka Kotahi commissioned an engineering geologist to assess the Te Apiti area and report back on current and future risks, including landslides and rockfalls.

“Waka Kotahi acknowledges that Te Apiti is a very special area and that there is a shared vision within the community to protect, preserve and enhance the area.”

Downs said that was key to a lot of the work Waka Kotahi had been doing around the Gorge.

The assessment reconfirmed work done in 2017 that led to the decision to close the Gorge road.

“The road was closed at that point because it was felt that the risk for people in vehicles exceeded our risk tolerability levels, which is when we did the business case to look at options for a new route and where we’ve got to today.”

Downs said the assessment looked at the risks of landslides and rockfalls now and in the future and how those things could impact infrastructure.

She said different timeframes were considered as part of the assessment, right through to 2041.

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