Cracks in the highway at Knights Point, the site of the major Epitaph Slip in 2012.
Photo: Supplied / NZTA
The government has pledged $7 million for design work to examine the viability of moving a slip-prone section of a West Coast highway further inland.
State Highway 6 near Knights Point in Westland – known as the Epitaph Slip site – was closed for about two weeks late last year because of rockfall after heavy rain.
The site was under close monitoring for more than a decade following a major landslide in 2012.
Associate Transport Minister James Meager said the plan to realign the road inland away from the cliff edge would increase its resilience in storms.
“As a strategic freight and tourism corridor, SH6 connects the South Island’s West Coast with Otago and Southland. It supports travel between key destinations like Franz Josef, Fox Glacier, Wanaka, Queenstown, and Milford Sound.
“It is also a route exposed to natural hazards like landslides/slips, rockfall, and flooding.
“The recommended approach to strengthen SH6 Epitaph Slip (near Knights Point) is to realign the road inland away from the cliff edge, remove unstable material above the road and bench cut the rockface to improve stability.
“To construct the benches and remove the unstable materials, a haul road will also be built to enable access.”
The government had set aside $7m to complete a detailed design, geotechnical investigations and consenting work for the project – which could cost as much as $123m.
James Meager.
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The work at the Epitaph Slip was part of a wider effort to improve the resilience of six roading corridors in the South Island, Meager said.
“Alongside the $13.4m being used for design and consenting work, the government has already committed $12m for construction. Another $90m is expected to be sought once design work is complete.
“Our state highways are vital lifelines for communities in the South Island, and we’ll continue to prioritise a strong pipeline of improvement projects that deliver better resilience and reliability of these corridors over time.”
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