Landslip forces extended river walkway closure

An extended section of the public walkway along the western bank of the Waikato River through central Hamilton has been closed due to a landslip.

The riverbank walkway between London Street and the Claudelands Bridge was closed yesterday, 19 December, until further notice, said Council’s Acting Parks and Gardens Manager Sally Sheedy.

The slip is approximately 30 metres north of an existing walkway closure between Bryce Street and the Claudelands Bridge, which resulted from a similar slip along the same part of the riverbank.

Miss Sheedy said the closure was in the interests of public safety, and Council staff were unsure when the walkway would reopen as geo-technical investigations had to be undertaken before any remedial work could be carried out.

“We are aware this is a very popular route for walkers, joggers and cyclists, but this is another significant slip within an unstable area of the riverbank,” Miss Sheedy says. “We’ve been advised there is no immediate risk to walkway users, but we need to make sure and ask them not to use the walkway at all.

“In effect, the walkway is now completely closed from London Street through to the southern side of the Claudelands Bridge.”

Miss Sheedy said Council staff were unsure when the new slip occurred, but with ground above the slip assessed as unstable, closing the walkway was the only option available to Council.

A smaller slip also occurred south of SkyCity Casino, and is believed to be a result of the extensive heavy rain at the weekend. Part of the walkway has been fenced off to keep walkway users away from where part of the bank has washed away. Staff are monitoring the situation with that slip and exploring what remedial action can be taken. Closure of that section of the walkway is possible if further heavy rain causes more subsidence.