CCNZ / HIREPOOL CONSTRUCTION EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2015
Geovert reaches for the sky to safeguard a scenic treasure It takes people with nerves of steel to dangle 300 metres up an active rock slip. Fortunately, specialist geotechnical construction firm Geovert employs just such a breed – otherwise the Diana Falls stretch of Haast Pass would not be as safe as it now is.
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CATEGORY
PROJECT: SH6 Diana Falls Slip Rockfall Protection, Haast Pass CONTRACTOR: Geovert
18 Civil Contractors NZ in association with Contractor magazine
In
September 2013, a fierce rain event saw thousands of tonnes of rock tumble into the gorge below Diana Falls in the Haast Pass. The slip tragically claimed the lives of two Canadian tourists, cut off State Highway 6 and isolated communities in the furthest reaches of the lower West Coast. The New Zealand Transport Agency was keen to put things right. That’s when Auckland-based Geovert and partner Geobrugg entered the picture – combining expertise in steep and treacherous terrain with cutting-edge rockfall protection technology. The $3 million solution saw a system of rockfall catch fences, attenuators and mesh drapes placed across the length of the 40 degree slope. Overseeing this dangerous operation was Geovert project manager Mat Avery, who says the design of the project was nothing short of “groundbreaking”. This was the largest single rockfall protection installation in Australasia, using a world-first combination of a single 3000 kilojoule and two 5000 kilojoule rockfall barrier attenuators. One of the biggest issues faced during the project was intense rainfall aggravating the slip. An astonishing four
