Safety concerns have slowed the slip clearance operation in the Manawatu Gorge.
State Highway 3 there has been closed since August, when the first of several slips brought down more than 300,000 cubic metres of hillside.
Most of that has since been removed.
But a six-day burst of around the clock work, the Transport Agency says it halted carting operations at the Ashhurst end of the slip after movement was detected on a half-bridge.
The agency says it needs to ensure safety before it can proceed.
NZTA sats it is still on track to re-open the Gorge mid-year.
