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Recovery works on track – State Highway 60 Tākaka Hill

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi | 22 Dec 2025 3:27pm | Tasman, Nelson and Marlborough

Work to repair badly damaged sections of State Highway 60 Tākaka Hill has been completed, just in time for Christmas as planned.

The road is now open to two lanes, stop/go traffic management has finished, and speed limits are back to normal.

Rob Service, NZTA System Manager for Nelson Tasman, says extensive work has been done above and below the highway over Tākaka Hill. This includes rebuilding sections of the damaged route, tackling erosion risks, strengthening the road, improving drainage, and stabilising the ground.

“Thanks to the hard mahi that recovery crews have put in – combined with recent resealing and maintenance work over the past 4 weeks – travelling over the hill is now smoother, safer and less prone to disruption,” Mr Service says.

“Great collaboration and cooperation by everyone involved helped ensure the job was completed in six months, in line with the target that we set when the recovery work began.”

Early next year, the recovery work crews may need to complete some final tasks, but that will be mainly off the road and any impact on drivers is likely to be minimal.

A newly paved road curves through lush green hills and dense forests, conveying a sense of serenity and progress in a rural landscape.

Riders Slip in early December 2025. Work crews have cut back into the hill to ensure the road alignment sits on a stronger geological base. New drains, kerbs, and culverts have been installed. The slip site has also had new erosion control measures put in place.

Eroded roadside with guardrails above a steep, exposed slope. The road edge is crumbling, surrounded by grass, suggesting recent land movement.

Riders Slip in winter 2025. The underslip below the road exposed how weak the ground was at the old road edge.

Man in hard hat and orange vest surveys roadside construction site with barrier installation. Trucks and equipment line the road; a sense of active work.

NZTA Nelson Tasman System Manager Rob Service at the Riders site, during the final stages of the recovery work in mid-December 2025. The road has been realigned to more solid ground and the edge strengthened. It’s now one whole lane width further into the hill, and features such as the concrete ground beam add extra support.

Map showing Tāhaka Hill Road recovery sites labeled with blue pins and descriptions, such as Riders slip and Forestry Corner. Context: NZ Transport update.

View larger map of SH60 Tākaka Hill recovery site map [PDF, 606 KB](external link)

For further information the recovery work and previous updates, see:

Recovery works on track – State Highway 60 Tākaka Hill(external link)

State Highway 60 Tākaka Hill maintenance closures(external link)