Adams Avenue, between Pilot Bay and the Maunganui Road roundabout, will be temporarily closed to vehicles from 8am today as a heavy rain watch is in place.
The footpath on the ‘shop side’ of Adams Ave will remain open, Council said in a statement.”
“This is a precautionary approach following geotechnical advice about the current risks on Mauao from anticipated rainfall from Friday to Saturday.”
Council duty emergency controller Nigel McGlone said since the lifting of cordons in the area immediately in front of Mauao last week, Council has been guided by a plan to take precautionary measures in the event that the monitoring equipment on Mauao, anticipated rainfall or some other information ‘trigger an alert’ of heightened danger to the public.
He said this was called a ‘Trigger Alert Response Plan’ (TARP) and has been developed in conjunction with Geotech experts who have been monitoring Mauao since the deadly slips three weeks ago.
The response plan has three ‘trigger levels’, and since the cordons were lifted, the response has sat at Level 2 – ‘heightened awareness’.
McGlone said the forecast for some heavier than usual rainfall over the next 24 hours meant that a move to the higher Level 3 needed to be considered.
“After speaking with our Geotech experts and taking their advice, the decision was made to activate the Level 3 response which means closing the road directly outside the Mauao slip site.
“Pedestrian access on the ‘shop side’ of the road has not been affected as expert advice is that only the road needs to be closed for vehicle and foot traffic.”
He said the closure was a precautionary measure based on the rainfall ‘trigger’ provided by their experts.
“However, with any large amount of rain there’s a risk of land movement, so community members are best to remain vigilant for themselves and others, and report any concerns to the Council via 07 577 7000. If life or property is in danger, people should call 111 immediately.”