Westroads keeping people moving
During the storm that hit the West Coast over Waitangi Weekend, slips bad enough to close the road occurred at Bonar Creek, Mount Hercules, and Lake Mapourika. These slips trapped locals and tourists between Hari Hari and Franz Josef.
In events like this, Westroads staff are called in to repair the damage and make the road passable again. It takes a big team effort and staff face challenges from the weather itself, the potential of fallen live power lines, and the difficulty of moving large rocks that can be three times the size of a regular person at 3 – 4 metres high! Despite these challenges, the team of 21 on the 5th, bolstered to 28 on the 6th got the highway open by 12 pm on the 6th allowing the public to get moving and continue their journeys.
Once the initial slip was cleared from the road, stabilisation of the slip and associated drainage work took a further 3 weeks to complete.
Westroads management would like to acknowledge that staff made themselves available and committed to civil defence duties over the long weekend.
Photos: Westroads
