Road Surveying after the Kaikoura earthquake

May 2017

W.D.M. Limited was asked to travel across to the South Island in New Zealand in early May 2017 to carry out additional surveying on the diversion routes for the length of the SH1 closed as a result of the Kaikoura earthquake in November 2016. More about the Kaikoura earthquake from BBC news.

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) asked for extra SCRIM® and High Speed Data survey on the diversion, which has experienced a huge increase in heavy good vehicles. The Agency is actively monitoring deterioration to ensure it remains in good condition for the remainder of 2017.

Up to 8,000 vehicles a day are now using the diversion route between Picton and Christchurch via Murchison and Springs junction, up fourfold since State Highway I closed.

The SCRIM® vehicle spent two days measuring the west road skid resistance of the surface, plus additional special testing at Invercargill, before returning to its base in Wellington.

Watch a footage of a road damaged by the Kaikoura earthquake. Source: RNZ

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