New drone footage captures extent of damage to Sumner Rd

Fresh drone footage has been released of Sumner Rd showing the toll the earthquakes and the last few years have taken on this key route between Sumner and Lyttelton.

The footage was shot at the start of this month and highlights the huge job ahead for the contractors working to get Sumner Rd re-opened to traffic.

The road has been closed since the February 2011 earthquake due to the extent of the damage and the high risk of further rock falls, cliffs collapsing and landslides.

The drone footage released today by Christchurch City Council shows huge boulders in the middle of the roadway, large tracts covered by rocks that have fallen from the bluffs above, and parts of the road overgrown by grass and weeds.

The Council and the NZ Transport Agency hope to have Sumner Rd re-opened in 2018.