Christchurch Earthquake Road Damage

DerrickN · *by **DerrickN** on Mon 6/Sep/10 12:40pm*

Needless to say there is a huge amount of damage to our local road network with significant lifting and subsidence, tears and cracks in tar seal, flooding, liquefaction silt and mud on the road, etc. With the very high water table at the moment after a long period of heavy rainfall leading up to the earthquake, this is still a developing issue and changing all the time.
Please be very careful on your bikes out there and try and check conditions before setting out on a ride.
Use this thread to advise of any safety issues you encounter to let other riders know.

Here's a map of the known reported faults so far
http://www.bikemap.net/route/687512?128374884670917#lat=-43.62763&lng=172.61856&zoom=11&type=0

From what I have seen at the moment, there is a lot of significant damage on SH75 between Halswell and Tai Tapu, and also on Old Tai Tapu Road. Long Bays riders take this into account. Although still passable with care, is your ride really necessary, and are you hindering the work of contractors trying to make repairs?

We have the Benchmark Tour Round 5 Race coming up this weekend, and without bothering Waimakariri District Council who will be naturally very busy with more important issues, anyone with detailed information concerning any road defects on the course should contact me straight away. Try and be precise as to location and nature of the problem.

speedystu · *by **speedystu** on Mon 6/Sep/10 1:02pm*

Good call Derrick. Watch the road surface around Allendale and Ohinetahi just before Governor's Bay. Some quite major deformation there, particularly below Living Springs

DerrickN · *by **DerrickN** on Mon 6/Sep/10 1:09pm*

Also maybe an indication of whether faults are in the "quick fix" department (like flooding or silt), or something major requiring re-constructiion (like large scale cracking, lifting or subsidence)
Gives us some data to consider what races we think can go ahead, what has to be cancelled, and what can be modified. In the big scheme of things these are only bike races after all, and we certainly can't expect any priority from the RCA's to repair roads just for us !!!!
As I said in another thread, schools racing this Wednesday has been shifted to a hill climb on Kennedys Bush Road (assemble at the Main Car Park at Halswell Quarry for a 3.30pm start) as Old Tai Tapu Road is unusable at present.

tony_11 · *by **tony_11** on Mon 6/Sep/10 1:09pm*

I rode all the Sefton and Loburn areas of the BM course yesterday and roads are all good. Not too sure about Cust down to Loburn though. German Rd could be a bit dodgy with the condition of the road anyway..

Jemetch · *by **Jemetch** on Mon 6/Sep/10 1:22pm*

Sabys / Trices / Ellesmere Roads heading out from Halswell to Lincoln - Pretty similar to Old Tai Tapu. Multiple cracks ~ 50 mm wide, mostly perpendicular to road direction, but quite a few also parallel :crazy:

just waiting to eat some wheels. Road closed at junction of Sabys and Trices with a culvert which has popped up and broken surface - perfect little kicker if you're keen...

onbike · *by **onbike** on Mon 6/Sep/10 2:25pm*

I wouldn't hug the corners too tight around Gebes (Teddington side). There are some huge overhanging boulders and slips which are just waiting to drop.

Old Taitapu road is a real mess. Won't be doing any interval training along there anytime soon.

leprechaun · *by **leprechaun** on Mon 6/Sep/10 4:32pm*

Summit rd from Kiwi to Gebbies had multiple boulders and debris on it this morning. Could get passed as only one side of the road is blocked but would decend with caution! Back around the bays there were no problems, will need to watch it tho after the next big rain.

snr_merv · *by **snr_merv** on Mon 6/Sep/10 8:02pm*

Short bays was totally fine today.

DerrickN · *by **DerrickN** on Mon 6/Sep/10 8:11pm*

snr_merv wrote:Short bays was totally fine today.

What was it like through Lyttleton - thought they had some serious damage

snr_merv · *by **snr_merv** on Mon 6/Sep/10 8:37pm*

DerrickN wrote:
snr_merv wrote:Short bays was totally fine today.

What was it like through Lyttleton - thought they had some serious damage

The main street has some parts taped off due to rubble/danger, but you can easily bypass that, probably actually rideable though, just had a quick glance down it. Looks like they've cleared rockfall from a few places where there are digger scrapes, but the road is in roughly the same condition as before.

swtchbckr · *by **swtchbckr** on Mon 6/Sep/10 8:45pm*

friend was out and about on one of my bikes today, and said he saw some huckers on dh rigs riding around looking for o for awesome jumps kicked up by the deformation. choiice...brah

DerrickN · *by **DerrickN** on Mon 6/Sep/10 8:51pm*

swtchbckr wrote:friend was out and about on one of my bikes today, and said he saw some huckers on dh rigs riding around looking for o for awesome jumps kicked up by the deformation. choiice...brah

Not quite what I had in mind !!

neels · *by **neels** on Mon 6/Sep/10 9:16pm*

Give the loop down lower styx through brooklands a miss, roads in brooklands are pretty shagged and the bridge to kainga is closed as the approach has slumped away.