Works will begin on stabilizing the cliff face above Rocks Rd next month as a large programme of works kick off to make the arterial route more resilient.
Starting in November, contractors will start recovery work on one of the region’s most heavily used routes – including the 22,000 road users who use it every day – by ensuring it is more resistant to weather events, slips and rockfalls in the future.
NZTA system manager Nelson Tasman, Rob Service says, this will be an extensive programme of work, which is why it has been broken up into several phases.
The first phase will run from Sunday, 2 November, and is expected to be complete in March 2026.
“It will include completing critical rock scaling work and removing vegetation and old netting along the southern section of the cliff face, closest to Tāhunanui Beach,” Rob says. “This will be followed by the installation of new mesh netting that will be anchored to the cliff face.”
Other methods such as shotcrete or matting will be used in other locations to prevent further erosion of cliff face material while encouraging natural revegetation.
During June and July this year, soil and rock, primarily from the top of the cliffs, fell and closed the road, creating significant disruption for road users in Nelson.
“It also highlighted additional instability along sections of the cliff.”
“The investment we are making is about improving safety, and maintaining and protecting a critical regional transport link,” Rob says.
Because contractors will be working above the road, he says steps must be taken to keep the public safe from the risk of falling debris.
“Traffic management will be in place throughout this project and may, at times, include temporary lane and road closures.”
“Our contractors will do their best to keep traffic delays to a minimum but, unfortunately, we cannot do projects like this without affecting traffic. Drivers should expect disruption and travel delays as work takes place.”
Businesses along Rocks Road will also remain open during these works, and access to them will be retained. Locals are encouraged to continue supporting them while the project is underway.
Upcoming works:
