A plan to fix the major slip on View Terrace in Piopio has been confirmed following a meeting between Waitomo District Council and residents last week.

Representatives from the Piopio Volunteer Fire Department and St John Ambulance were also in attendance to discuss the way forward which will allow safe access while the road is reduced to one lane.

View Terrace was one of several local roads severely impacted by Cyclone Dovi in February.

The storm was not predicted to have such a major impact, however, it swept throughout the district causing extensive flooding and slips, and has resulted in millions of dollars worth of repair work.

General Manager Infrastructure Services, Shyamal Ram says permanent repairs to the most damaged roads could take up to two years, but a plan has now been agreed for View Terrace, a road classified as needing urgent repair.

“A few options were discussed, including constructing a timber retaining wall, closing the road with a new access via Kawana Road, constructing a Mechanically Stabilised Earth (MSE) Wall, or constructing a road retreat.

“An MSE Wall is the recommended option based on price, disturbance to surrounding properties, and size of the slip. An MSE wall comprises layers of soil or rock sandwiched between artificial reinforcement, usually geogrids and geotextiles.”

Interim measures are currently in place, with permanent repair work scheduled to start later in the year when the ground and soil isn’t wet.

“Overall, the meeting went really well, and we have a positive outcome,” says Shyamal.

“Residents shared their local knowledge of the site and gave insight into the history of the road. It’s a good example of everyone working together.”

View Terrace has been categorised as Council’s second highest priority roading fix.

The majority of the funding for the repair will come from Waka Kotahi NZTA, which Council staff have been working with on developing a solution.