Feature
Proactive management of slope hazards - Waioeka gorge pilot study - Young Professionals Prize
Catherine Roh Highway and Network Operations, New Zealand Transport Agency, New Zealand
Illustrations © New Zealand Transport Agency
Management of natural hazard risks, such as large landslides, has been a grey area for New Zealand's transport industry. The 2012 "Sandy Slip" event - SH2, Waioeka Gorge - was one such event. The resulting road closure spanned over 4 weeks costing the New Zealand Transport Agency $8M (NZD). We failed to predict either the timing or scale of the slip. Hence the Waioeka Gorge Slope Hazard Pilot Study was commenced in 2012 to answer two questions:
1. Was Sandy Slip a one off event?
2. Explore the ability of remote monitoring systems to enable a more proactive risk management system dealing with large scale slip risks.