Livingstone Duntroon Road Closure Update

Published on 18 June 2024

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An initial Geotech inspection was conducted on Thursday last week revealing a lot more cracking on the cliff than anticipated. On expert advice, Council decided to close the road on Friday due to the hazard it presented.
 
Council is awaiting the full report. Further inspections and planning for making the site safe are being arranged now – so that a solution can be found to reopen the road safely.
 
We understand this closure is causing frustration and extra travel costs.
 
While some routes on unsealed roads are shorter, gravel roads are not in condition to carry additional traffic and regrading them during wet weather exposes the material to saturation and scouring. Council’s signed detour recommends the Georgetown-Ngapara sealed road as the best way to access Livingstone and other areas.
 
Council wants to reopen the road as quickly as possible, but only once the site is safe for traffic and other road users. Opening it exposes travellers and workers to more risk than is sensible.
We will do everything possible to have the road open again for school holidays (5 July). Ideally, we want to have the road open again in time for Matariki, Friday 28 June. However, that is dependent on the scale of the problem, and the complexity of the solution.
 
A large area of rock dropped onto the road two weeks ago without any earthquake or rain as a cause. The discovery of further cracking means we need to investigate carefully and not destabilise the area and create a greater risk.
 
Public suggestions of explosives, drilling and other ‘fun’ interventions would likely cause further destabilisation unless the underlying cause is understood.
 
Council would appreciate the public respecting the people working on site and not deliberately vandalising the equipment, including cones and barriers. These costs are ultimately paid for by the ratepayer.
 
We will provide further updates when new information becomes available.

 

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