Waimakariri Bluffs Rockfall Mitigation

Waimakariri Bluff lies on the side of the SH73 State Highway which links Christchurch to the West Coast of New Zealand. These rock slopes are highly fractured and active with countless frittering rocks which would regularly fall on to the road surface. This created a significant hazard to road users as well as the highway maintenance team who were removing rock debris regularly.

NZTA wanted to address this hazard by installing a mesh drapery that would control the displacement of any future rock falls.