Vital Cable Bay Slip Repair Work Underway

Nelson City Council has started work to
restore full access to Cable Bay Road, fixing three major
slips that were caused by the August 2022 weather
event.

These slips damaged the road, causing it to be
single lane in places, and are challenging to repair with
significant drop offs and unstable grounds.

Nelson
Mayor Nick Smith says repairing these three major slips is
expected to cost $1 million and take four
months.

“It is essential work to restore two-way
access and improve resilience to future storm events. This
project in another important step in Nelson’s recovery
from the August 2022 storm. I acknowledge the disruption
this work will cause the Cable Bay community and thank them
for their ongoing support.

“This isn’t the first
time residents have faced disruption from road repairs with
extensive work required after the 2011 storm. It is
encouraging that all 28 sites repaired in 2011 sustained the
2022 storm. This provides confidence that Council is
progressively improving the resilience of this winding road
through difficult terrain,” Mayor Nick says.

Group
Infrastructure Manager Alec Louverdis says the project is
one of the more complicated problems Council has solved
since August 2022.

“Two days of heavy rain washed
sediment down the hillside, caking the road in mud. This was
the first challenge contractors faced. Following the
clean-up we carried out extensive surveying (revealing one
slip was 22m in length), emergency repairs and ensuring the
damaged sites were safe. Cyclone Gabrielle meant that
geotech resources were thin on the ground, but we still
managed to investigate the most cost-effective repair for
each slip and complete detailed designs.

“The
repairs will require contractors to dig benches into the
hillside for their teams to work on. For the first slip
they’ll use concrete beams and blocks to stabilize the
land. For the other two sites they’ll drive timber poles
in from the road to act as a retaining wall. They will then
drill ground anchors into the rock. The road will be rebuilt
and laid once the hillside is stable.”

Once a
contractor was awarded the project, a community meeting was
held to discuss the road closure. It was decided that the
start date would be after Waitangi Day.

“As a
business we are affected by the closure,” says Cable Bay
Cafe owner Annette Meyer.

“It was a positive sign
that we could sit down with Council and the contractor to
discuss the details and dates of the road closures. We
appreciate that they were willing to move the date to be
outside the school holiday break to minimise impact on our
business. Visitors, particularly campervans, have commented
on the traffic lights and narrow sections caused by the
slips. This road is not just a way for residents to get from
A to B, but it’s our livelihood.

“What we really
want people to know is that you can come visit Cable Bay
after 3pm and on the weekend.”

Council has worked
closely with the contractor and local residents/businesses
to find opening times for Cable Bay Road that balance
everyone’s needs. It was agreed that the road would reopen
every day between 12noon – 1pm and reopen in full every day
at 3pm. The road would also remain open all day Saturday and
Sunday. The closure would be in place till Mid-June from
Maori Pa Road. The work sites are further past this point,
but it’s the easiest section for motorists to turn around
before encountering the narrow road to Cable
Bay.

Council have allowed for flexibility when and
where possible, says Louverdis.

“We heard from
residents, businesses and event organisers about upcoming
activities they would like the road to be open for.
There’s a music festival and mountain biking event in
March. To accommodate, contactors will leave the road
open.”

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