SH3 Manawatu Gorge

NZTA making steady progress on clearing the gorge

The NZ Transport Agency continues to make excellent progress benching the Manawatu Gorge slip. Crews are working at both the top and bottom of the site, the first bench is finished and a second one is underway. And despite even more rain this week, 12,000 cubic meters of debris has been cleared from the bottom of the slip.

What’s happening?

More than 80,000 cubic metres of soil and rock have fallen from the hillside in this latest slip. We had already cleared an earlier slip from 18 August but had not re-opened the road to traffic as we felt there was still some instability in the hillside. We were right, and because there is further material that looks unstable above the current slip, we are having to tackle this problem from the top down rather than from the bottom as we normally would.

At this stage we are producing a weekly update, so that everyone knows what is happening. You can access these here or let us know your contact details and we’ll send them to you direct.

You can see a 2-min video of the gorge (YouTube, 2min) here, with aerial shots of the slip and the benching work at the top.

Latest Updates

• 17 February 2012 (PDF, 348 KB)
• 10 February 2012 (PDF, 212 KB)
• 3 February 2012 (PDF, 109 KB)
• 1 February 2012 (PDF, 189 KB)
• 27 January 2012 (PDF, 265KB)
• 20 January 2012 (PDF, 1.67MB)
• 13 January 2012 (PDF, 906KB)
• 9 January 2012 (PDF, 1.10MB)
• 23 December 2011 (PDF, 203KB)
• 16 December 2011 (PDF, 1.20MB)
• 9 December 2011 (PDF, 271KB)
• 2 December 2011 (PDF, 421KB)
• 25 November 2011 (PDF, 348KB)
• 18 November 2011 (PDF, 271KB)
• 4 November 2011 (PDF, 99KB)
• 27 October 2011 (PDF, 59KB)
• 26 October 2011 - Landslide description (PDF, 1.56MB)
• 13 October 2011 (PDF, 174KB)
• 7 October 2011 (PDF, 60KB)
• 1 October 2011 (PDF, 50KB)

Photographs and diagrams

They say a picture tells a thousand words so check out some of the photographs we’ve taken of the slip here. You’ll see the scale of the problem, plus we will be posting more photographs regularly so you can see for yourself how work is progressing.

Here's a diagram of the slip, showing how far we've come. We'll update this regularly as we move forward, so you can track our progress week by week.

Benching progress

What is benching?

Here is an explanation of the 'benching' (terracing) process we are using to stabilise the slip.

Media Releases

Gorge cleanup effort poised to hit six month mark
17 Feb 2012
The NZ Transport Agency is close to beginning work on the pivotal fifth bench as State Highway 3 through the Manawatu Gorge approaches an unprecedented six months of closure.

Crews well underway on fourth gorge bench
10 Feb 2012
The NZ Transport Agency says the fourth bench is well underway at the Manawatu Gorge, as crews slog increasingly closer to the pivotal fifth bench.

NZTA announces estimated gorge reopening timeframe
1 Feb 2012
The NZ Transport Agency has announced that the Manawatu Gorge will remain closed until mid-year to enable crews to complete a thorough job of safely securing and clearing the massive slip site.

Gorge crews uncovering more rock on the slope
27 Jan 2012
The NZ Transport Agency says crews at the Manawatu Gorge are striking increasing amounts of rock at the slip site, and a big job remains ahead shifting the rock and completing the benching.

NZTA making strong progress on Gorge benching
10 January 2012
The NZ Transport Agency is closing in on the completion of the second bench at the Manawatu Gorge slip site, at which point machines will be fully committed to snaking their way down the slope until the benching is complete.

NZTA making steady progress on clearing the gorge
23 December 2011
The NZ Transport Agency continues to make excellent progress benching the Manawatu Gorge slip. Crews are working at both the top and bottom of the site, the first bench is finished and a second one is underway. And despite even more rain this week, 12,000 cubic meters of debris has been cleared from the bottom of the slip.

NZTA to attack gorge slip on two fronts before Xmas
16 December 2011
The NZ Transport Agency will be ramping up work at the Manawatu Gorge slip site just before Christmas, with crews working the slip from both top and bottom and a second bench due to begin next week.

Step by step as Gorge operation progresses
8 December 2011
The NZTA has made good progress on stabilising the Manawatu Gorge, with the benching operation at the top of the hillside already well underway.

NZTA recycling slip material for use in nearby road improvements
1 December 2011
The NZ Transport Agency is making good use of the material being cleared from the massive slip at the Manawatu Gorge, with a significant amount of the estimated 200,000 cubic metres of rock and dirt brought down in the slip likely to be recycled for use in nearby road works.

NZTA rolls in The Bandit
25 November 2011
NZ Transport Agency crews have finished cutting a path through dense bush to reach the top of the Manawatu gorge slip, and are clearing bush to establish a safe working platform for the earth moving equipment due to start benching (terracing) the slip early next week.

NZTA readies for top-down strike on Gorge slip site
18 November 2011
The NZ Transport Agency is making excellent progress with a track up to the crest of the Manawatu Gorge slip site, and heavy equipment is due to begin work next week attacking the unstable slope from the top down.

Changes to detour through Ashhurst to improve safety and congestion
15 November 2011
The NZ Transport Agency has made some changes to the posted Saddle Road detour route through Ashhurst to improve traffic flow and safety, and is thanking motorists and residents for their patience and understanding as the adjustments are made.

NZTA to take it from the top at Manawatu Gorge
10 November 2011
The NZ Transport Agency has announced the next phase of its plan of attack to secure the unstable hillside that has closed State Highway 3 through the Manawatu Gorge for more than 80 days.

NZTA to begin traffic flow improvements to Saddle Road
4 November 2011
The NZ Transport Agency will begin upgrades of the Saddle Road on Monday to improve traffic flow for the thousands of motorists using the road as a detour during the closure of the Manawatu Gorge.

Diggers moving again at Manawatu Gorge
1 November 2011
Diggers are on the move again at the State Highway 3 Manawatu Gorge slip site after a period of settled weather enabled crews to return safely to the site.

NZTA developing plan of attack to clear gorge slip
28 October 2011
The NZ Transport Agency says it is developing a plan to stabilise the hillside and clear the massive slip that is blocking SH3 through the Manawatu Gorge as quickly and as safely as possible.

Heavy rain brings down further slip in Manawatu Gorge
18 October 2011
The NZ Transport Agency has confirmed that a further large slip has occurred on SH3 in the Manawatu Gorge at the same site which contractors have been working to clear for several weeks.

NZTA to take over Manawatu Gorge detour routes as closure extended
3 October 2011
The NZTA will be taking over control of the Saddle Road and Pahiatua Track as the closure of the Manawatu Gorge looks set to continue for up to two months.

Travelling south to the game in Palmerston North? Leave time for Gorge detour
30 September 2011
The NZ Transport Agency is advising motorists traveling south to the Argentina-Georgia game in Palmerston North on Sunday to add at least half an hour to their journey times due to the ongoing closure of the Manawatu Gorge.

NZTA advises Gorge unlikely to reopen before Napier game
23 September 2011
The NZ Transport Agency is advising motorists that as slips continue to fall in the Manawatu Gorge, people will need to allow extra time when traveling north to the Canada vs Japan match next Tuesday.

Heading to the Napier game? Allow extra time for Gorge closure
16 September 2011
The NZ Transport Agency is advising motorists travelling north to the Canada vs France match in Napier this weekend to allow extra time due to the ongoing closure of the Manawatu Gorge from a massive slip last month.

Manawatu Gorge closure extended as stabilisation works continue
7 September 2011
State Highway 3 through the Manawatu Gorge will remain closed for at least another week to enable the NZ Transport Agency to carry out more work stabilising the slope, after more loose material came down overnight.

Manawatu Gorge remains closed as crews work to stabilise slopes
5 September 2011
The NZTA advises motorists that State Highway 3 through the Manawatu Gorge is likely to remain closed until at least Friday as contractors continue work on a large, unstable slip site.

NZTA aiming to reopen Manawatu Gorge early next week
26 August 2011
The NZ Transport Agency is advising motorists that the Manawatu Gorge is likely to remain closed until early next week.

Large slip closes Manawatu Gorge
19 August 2011
The NZ Transport Agency is advising motorists that the Manawatu Gorge could be closed for around a week after a large slip came down last night following heavy rain.

Questions and answers

Check out our Q & As, but if you have other questions get in touch and we’ll do our best to answer them.