A cafe forced to close after the series of slips in the Manawatu Gorge looks set to reopen.

The Bridge Cafe has been closed since January because of the loss of trade caused by State Highway 3 through the gorge being blocked by slips for more than a year.

Earlier this year, cafe owner Rebecca Algie told the Manawatu Standard she was likely to open the cafe again only when SH3 was fully open again.

Ms Algie did not reply to the Standard's calls yesterday but last week, a listing was placed on TradeMe Jobs that advertised for staff at the cafe.

The advertisement was asking for staff to work in both front and back-of-house roles, including a head chef position.

"This wonderful work environment has been closed due to the Manawatu Gorge (SH3) closure, however, the reopening of the road is scheduled for late September, at which point we will need the right staff to support our popular and fast-growing business," it said.

The gorge has been closed for all but a few days since August 18 last year.

The road could be opened to traffic, either one-way or both ways, in about 10 days.

The NZ Transport Agency has confirmed that the reopening of the gorge would cost about $20 million.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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