A helicopter has been used to remove loose rock and dirt from the slip on State Highway 25a in the Coromandel.
The estimated 2000m3 sized slip came down Sunday night and is currently blocking the road.
The NZ Transport Agency is advising the highway will remain closed tonight as it is not safe for road users.
It may open to one lane later today but intermittent closures will still be needed.
The agency's Regional Transport System Manager, Karen Boyt says the helicopter was used to encourage any loose material to fall.
'Today our engineers have confirmed the slip is still moving and creating a safety risk to workers and the public.
'The sluicing involved a helicopter dropping around 1000 litres of water on the slope to remove any debris that was close to falling.
'Once the slip is stabilised and the next phase of the plan is put in place to clear the road we will have a better indication of when one lane might open, but at the moment we expect that might be late tomorrow.
'The public and worker safety is paramount and needs to be considered before a decision is made."
All road users should check the Transport Agency website before leaving for their journey. Other contact information is also below. A further update will be provided tomorrow.
1 comment
golly gosh something had to give
Posted on 25-07-2017 08:18 | By old trucker
Using a helicopter is silly all it does is wash away all the good stuff, a GOOD (CON)tractor would put a BIG BULLY up there and bench it and stabilize it, but what would i know,with 50 yrs exp,.as you see the road is only half covered and traffic should be able to get past, for GOODNESS sake they could have worked through the night and cleared this with big work lights, look at the little digger there, put a little boy in there to do a mans job, no wonder it takes for ever, YOU NEED 30 TON MOXIES out there and a big digger with 3 swings and gone and take 3 loads in one, (to easy), BUT we must spin it out till FRIDAY, we will see, (BUT) must have SAFETY MEETING first, then SMOKO look at it, UMM ,Sunlive No1, Thankyou,10-4 out,Phew.
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