28 August 2006

Hill Road closed for weeks

The Paekakariki Hill Road will be closed for several weeks at least following heavy rain on Saturday afternoon which caused a slip at the site of a previous repair to the road.

“Water came down one of the gullies, ran down the road and undermined it and the resulting washout will require quite extensive works to repair,” Council spokesperson, Tony Cronin, said today.

“The pleasing thing is that the debris traps in the gullies further up the road did the job for which they’re designed and caught several hundred cubic metres of scree. They certainly protected the road from further damage.

“While the State Highway had to be closed and traffic diverted through Paekakariki township on Saturday, at no stage was there any risk to property and the flood management systems and processes all worked well.”

A meeting will be held on the site of the washout this morning to carry out a thorough inspection of the damage and to start the process of designing an effective repair.

“Once we have a clearer idea of a timeframe for the repair, we’ll advise residents and motorists.

“There was heavy rain right throughout the Kapiti Coast on Saturday but neither the Waikanae River nor the Otaki reached warning levels.

“Two properties in the Raumati required sandbagging while another in Paraparaumu, in Rimu Road, needed pumping to prevent surface water from entering.”

ENDS

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