Fear of rockfalls on St Marys Pass

Fear ofrockfalls on St Marys Pass

27 April 2007

published by www.abc.net.au

Australia — Road maintenance workers will step upmonitoring of the St Marys Pass on the East Coast this weekend, with theprospect of heavy rain causing small rockfalls.

The bushfire that swept over the pass last December removed some surfacevegetation, slightly increasing the risk of instability.

The Weather Bureau is forecasting rain for much of Tasmania over the weekend,with the heaviest falls in the north and north-east.

The general manager of Roads and Public Transport, Peter Todd, says alarge-scale landslip is not likely.

” It could result in some small rockfalls,” he said. “We don’tanticipate any significant event.

“We will be making sure that monitoring is stepped up to respond ifthere’s any need to clear any stones or rocks that may come down onto the road.”