MEDIA RELEASE
2 December 2019
Final stage of work on SH60 Takaka Hill underway
A contract to complete the last five big repair sites on State Highway 60, Takaka Hill, significantly damaged by Cyclone
Gita in 2018, has been awarded to construction company Downer by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
Ten minor sites damaged in the early 2018 storm were repaired and completed by mid-2019.
About $20 million of funding has been provided by the Transport Agency for the entire Takaka Hill emergency response and
recovery, which includes around $12 million for repairs to the five last major sites this summer.
Transport Agency Project Manager for Takaka Hill Chris Robertson says Downer will now undertake essential planning and
preparation work before rolling out the heavy machinery, allowing the team to complete the physical works safely and
efficiently.
“This will help speed up the construction process and reduce unnecessary disruption. By completing planning and design
up-front, it means construction can continue without requiring significant road closures or major changes for Takaka
Hill road-users,” he says.
“The remaining five sites are all significant pieces of work with geotechnical risks, and there’s a huge amount of work
going on behind the scenes to help get this road back up and running and fully opened without traffic management as
quickly as possible.”
Since the early 2018 Cyclone Gita storm, the hill access to Golden Bay has had one-way sections controlled by traffic
signals.
The project team will now complete planning and preparation of required construction plans – for example for Health and
Safety, Quality and Construction Management. They will also be developing the ‘temporary works design’ - an essential
part of the project to provide a safe working area for the team below the live carriageway.
Additional geotechnical investigations will happen as soon as possible to enable the temporary design to be confirmed
prior to construction. Once construction gets underway in the New Year, there will be multiple sites under construction
at once.
All on-site work will be paused over the busy Christmas and New Year period to reduce any impact on travel times, Mr
Robertson notes. The crew will begin establishment work for the five sites in the lead-in to Christmas.
Traffic lights will remain in place for the duration of the repair work, including the holiday period, with the traffic
signal system being extended further uphill to include all five major sites once construction starts. Alternating
traffic flow through this section of the Takaka Hill will remain during the construction period.
The Transport Agency and the Downer contracting team thank all Takaka residents, businesses and visitors to Golden Bay
for being patient and taking extra care around crews and all other road users, including cyclists and motorcyclists,
while this essential reconstruction work is underway this summer.
Link to Gallery page showing more slips and progress so far:
Takaka Hill, SH60, project page: