Hump Ridge access road may be replaced

The Hump Ridge track access road might have to be replaced after a battering by a recent storm caused more than a million dollars of damage earlier this month.

Southland District Council assets manager for roading Russell Hawkes said it would probably be cheaper to upgrade an adjacent private forestry road than to fix the Papatotara Coast road.

Severe weather mixed with spring tides tore chunks out of the seaside road a couple of weeks ago making it impassable and possibly too expensive to fix.

The council was looking into the feasibility of replacing it with a new road and was hoping to have something opened before the Hump Ridge track's summer season starts in October, Mr Hawkes said.

Although the coast road has been closed to the public, farmers in the area have been able to use private thoroughfares.

Trampers and other members of the public can still access the end of the road by walking an extra 3km.

- © Fairfax NZ News