Golder helps Christchurch post-earthquake road repair project reach its destination
06 May 2019
Sumner
Road in Christchurch,
New Zealand, reopened on 29 March, eight years since the critical
road linking
Christchurch, the Port of Lyttleton and the communities of
Sumner and Lyttelton was badly damaged by the earthquakes that rocked
the region in 2010–11.
The reopening marks the end of a very long and challenging project of
repairing the road and
retaining walls, as well as stabilising the rocky
slopes above the road to protect against further rockfalls.
Leading global engineering and consulting firm
Golder supported
Christchurch City Council throughout the project, developing the
preliminary design for measures to protect against rockfall along a
circa 2 km stretch of the heavily damaged road, and also providing
owner’s engineering advisory services throughout the 2.5-year
construction period.
“The rockfall mitigation works involved scaling and blasting loose rock
from the massive rock faces above the road, and construction of a wide
catch-bench to prevent any future falls damaging the road again,” said
Tim McMorran, Principal Engineering Geologist at Golder in New Zealand.
“Once the rockfall mitigation was complete, the project extended into
repairing 30 earthquake-damaged retaining walls and the road itself.”
Golder specialists maintained a presence on site throughout
construction, representing the Christchurch City Council and guiding the
work of contractors and subcontractors across a range of disciplines and
activities.
“Golder thrived on the challenges of this important project, and the
result demonstrates our strong values of safety, innovation, technical
excellence and environmental stewardship in action,” said Hannah
Hamling, Golder’s President in Asia Pacific. “We’re proud to see the
successful and safe completion of this long and logistically difficult
project which involved working in very complex terrain with unique
biodiversity values.”
Due to Golder’s innovative design and expert advice, Christchurch City
Council was able to complete the project for approximately two-thirds of
the original cost estimate, saving more than NZD$15 million.
The dramatically beautiful coastal road is an important link between the
communities of Sumner and Lyttelton and is a popular scenic tourist
drive and cycle route. The reopening of the road has been eagerly
awaited by the local communities and will allow tourists to return to
the area, reduce local travel times and alleviate traffic pressure on
the Lyttelton road tunnel.
Work on the road was jointly funded by Christchurch City Council and the
NZ Transport Agency.
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