Yesterday, the council discussed a report on options for restoring the road, damaged by a landslide last October, and who was responsible for paying for the work.
After about an hour and a-half of talks, the council decided to restore the road to a ''partial level of service restoration'' standard.
The council moved a funding option that would result in the council, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and Contact Energy negotiating an alternative arrangement for access or funding.
If negotiations under that option were not successful, the council and NZTA would meet the cost of the work.
The repair option was amended so the road would remain open with one lane, wide enough for heavy truck access.
Some slip material would be removed and a basic fence to catch rocks would be built.
Work to reduce the risk of the slope above the road sliding again would also be done, but it would not remove the risk entirely.
The estimated cost was about $300,000, which would be half-funded by the council and the NZTA.
Much discussion was given to option one in the report, titled ''do nothing''.
Many felt the name was misleading.
Under that option, the road would have remained open with one lane and periodic maintenance would have been undertaken at an estimated cost of about $5000 a year.
Councillor Stu Duncan asked why that option should not be taken, as there was a risk of having to spend more money on repairs in the future due to further rockfalls.
The road had been functioning in its current capacity for the past year, he said.
Mayor Tony Lepper and Cr Duncan were in favour of the council paying for any work on the road.
Although the landslide and the material it left on the road came from property belonging to Contact Energy, the council had accepted responsibility for the road when it became part of the region's roading network.
The council's lawyers had previously said that because the landslide and its debris came from Contact land, it was that company's responsibility to pay for repairs.
