Results
Delivered successfully under extreme site and weather conditions.
Barrier systems validated by controlled blasting of oversized boulders.
Restored safe and continuous public access to SH6.
Effective collaboration between Geovert, NZTA, Opus, and Sicon Fergusson.
Project
Solution
Designed and installed a three-tier barrier system to intercept and manage high-energy rockfalls.
Upper barrier: 5m high, 3000kJ capacity system positioned 250m above the highway.
Mid-slope barriers: two 6m high, 5000kJ attenuators installed at 150m and 50m elevations.
Lower barrier: 35-tonne high-tensile steel ROCCO ring net drape system, engineered to channel debris to collection points for safer maintenance.
Deployed advanced safety protocols, monitoring systems, and controlled blasting to validate performance.
Project
Challenges
A 40,000m³ slip with boulders exceeding the size of shipping containers created unprecedented instability.
Slip face extended over 250m upslope with continual rockfall hazards during works.
Severe winter conditions compounded safety and access risks, with frequent rockfall activity.
Urgent requirement to restore permanent public access on a critical highway.
Construction in an active rockfall zone required robust monitoring and strict protocols.
Project
Overview
In September 2013, a catastrophic 40,000m³ slip forced the closure of State Highway 6 in New Zealand, with subsequent night closures due to extreme rockfall hazards. The slip face, extending more than 250m upslope, contained unstable blocks larger than 20-foot shipping containers.
To reopen this vital corridor, Geovert was engaged to design and construct a comprehensive rockfall protection system capable of withstanding high-energy impacts while allowing efficient long-term maintenance.