The Takarau Gorge road linking Johnsonville and Makara Beach will remain closed to through traffic for several weeks while extensive flood damage is repaired.
Wellington City Council Transport and Infrastructure Manager, Brad Singh says several hundred metres of the road were “torn up and pretty much wrecked” after the Ohariu Stream became a raging torrent through the narrow gorge during the July 17 flood.
Sections of the roadway have been undermined and at least two culverts under the road will have to be replaced, Mr Singh said. He estimates the repair costs could total around $1.5 million.
He said it was likely the damaged section would be reopened with a temporary gravel surface in a few weeks’ time and that resealing of the road would be carried out during warmer weather later in the year.
Motorists can still reach Makara Beach via Karori and Makara Village.
