A second landslide has torn away another chunk of a car park in Auckland’s Birkenhead, and is creeping towards businesses.
What began as a crack in the public car park in August, has steadily worsened. The back half of Rawene Rd car park slipped down a gorge on October 8.
Now, a second landslide has appeared directly next to the initial slip, on the western side, and the edge of it is a lot closer to the back of Birkenhead’s Mokoia Rd shops.
The kerb that joins the Rawene car park access road to the pavement is split apart like a broken zipper. The slip is visibly a lot steeper in appearance compared to the initial slip in October but not as deep.
Auckland Transport’s Mark Hannan first announced there had been another slip via media release on November 28 at 5pm.
This morning, Hannan said there was no overnight movement of the site following the second slip.
At least 10 engineers were on site on Wednesday morning.
“Building inspectors have assessed surrounding properties and there continues to be no indication of a risk to those properties,” Hannan said.
“Specialists are continuing to monitor the site and stabilisation work has been paused while the impact of the second slip is being investigated.
“In the interest of public safety, pedestrian and vehicle access to private car parks via the slip road is now prohibited.”
Hannan said a piece of equipment, which is described as similar to a platform, fell about three metres. Hannan confirmed no-one had been injured.
Kaipātiki Local Board chairwoman Danielle Grant was at the slip this morning.
Grant said the board was waiting for geotechnical reporting and a stabilisation plan to gain a better understanding of the next steps.
“The main thing businesses are after, at the moment, is clear and ongoing communication.”
‘ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN’
Claire Balfour, chairwoman of the nearby Mokoia Apartments body corporate, said residents were concerned about the significant drop in the car park when it first appeared almost three weeks before the slip happened.
She said the asphalt had originally been poured onto unstable land without a retaining wall and was “an accident waiting to happen”.
Auckland Transport has defended its management of the gaping hole that has appeared where the car park used to be.
AT’s chief infrastructure officer Greg Edmonds said the car park had washed away into the gorge below it following “pretty significant rains” over the past 12 months.
Edmonds said AT had been monitoring the site for 12 months and it took appropriate action when the crack appeared, closing part of the car park and fencing it off for public safety.
Article by Laine Moger
Published November 29 2017 stuff.co.nz