A key road into Kahurangi National Park has reopened after almost $1 million in repairs and a year after it was badly damaged by back-to-back storms.
Graham Valley Road in the Motueka Valley was undercut by the Graham River during the Tasman floods last winter.
At least six slips fell on the road including one which dropped a section of road eight metres into the river below.
The road is jointly managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and Tasman District Council.
Department of Conservation acting Motueka operations manager Helen Otley said the road reopened today with the work completed ahead of schedule and at a cost of $920,000.
The site was challenging and required geotechnical assessments, 3D-engineering designs and specialist civil engineering expertise for river works, she said.
The repairs included rebuilding the washed-out sections of the road's base and resurfacing.
"It's really been a team effort to get the road reopened. DOC worked closely with Tasman District Council to plan the repairs and contractors Ferguson Earthmoving have done a superb job at site."
The road provides access to Flora Carpark, which is a gateway for many popular alpine walks in the Kahurangi National Park.
It is steep and narrow and only suitable for four-wheel drive vehicles in the winter months with chains sometimes needed.
Otley said there were no concrete traction strips on the newly repaired section, but DOC and the council intended to reinstate them in future.
Some sections above the repairs were due for regular maintenance.
The repairs and river engineering work are expected to increase the resilience of the road against future weather events.
This story was first published on rnz.co.nz
