A slip that has closed a major route into Wellington may take longer to clear than earlier estimated.
The road through the gorge links the central city with the Ngaio and Khandallah area. Photo: Wellington City Council
Ngaio Gorge has been closed for more than a week, and workers have been hampered in removing the boulders and debris due to further falls.
After earlier hoping to clear the route by Wednesday, the Wellington City Council said it could now be later this week before it opens.
The council said 3500 cubic metres have been removed over the last couple of days, but about two thirds of it still needed to be carted away.
About 10,000 cars travelled through the gorge every day, the council said.
Workers inspect the scale of the damage after the landslip late last month. Photo: Wellington City Council
Containers will be installed as a barrier to catch any further rocks or material that comes down.
More rain is expected this week.
The council said it was also considering using a parking lay-by next to the main road by the slip to get traffic flowing again.
It will release more details about this later in the week.
