State Highway 11 in the Bay of Islands, which has been closed by a massive slip for nearly two months, will reopen at limited times before the end of the month, weather permitting.
The highway between Paihia and Kawakawa has been closed to all traffic since heavy rain from ex tropical Cyclone Fehi brought down a huge slip that's hanging above the road on February 13.
The New Zealand Transport Agency says it's progressing towards reopening the road the end of April.
"We should have reached a point in stabilising the hillside over the next couple of weeks where we can safely open the road to traffic in the morning and evening for a limited time under traffic control," said NZTA Northland System Manager Jacqui Hori-Hoult.
"It will depend on the weather and continued monitoring of the slip and the risks it presents."
Ms Hori-Hoult says crews will have to stop work while the road is open, but it will allow locals and tourists to get through and not have to drive the detour route which can add up to 30 minutes to their journey.
She says favourable weather has helped crews make good progress on the slip, working from the top down on the hillside high above the road.
After initially removing about 200 cubic metres of loose material a day, they are now taking out 800 to 1000 cubic metres a day and have so far cleared about 12,000 loose cubic metres of earth and rock.
Ms Hori-Hoult says safety is paramount.
Crews can't work on the hillside when it's wet and NZTA hasn't opened the road because of the risk of the unstable material falling on to the road.
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