The reopening of State Highway 1 (SH1) over the Brynderwyn Hills has been delayed by a number of weeks due to a slip in another blow for Northland businesses.
And as the Brynderwyns hillside came crashing down again, so did Northlanders' hopes of the road reopening on time.
"We're all like 'ugh'. Did that have to happen?" said Whangārei mayor Vince Cocurullo.
"We were all hoping and praying for it to actually be opened on the 13th [of May]," he told Newshub.
The slip happened over the weekend, and a considerable amount of material fell on Tuesday.
"Around 30,000 to 40,000 cubic metres of soil has come down onto the road. That's equivalent to around 1500 construction truck's worth, so it is quite significant," said Mark Kinvig from Waka Kotahi NZTA.
The critical link between Northland and Auckland has been shut for repairs since February after it was badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle last year.
It was due to reopen in just two weeks, but now, it's unclear when it will happen.
"We are not expecting it to be months at this stage, we are expecting it to be weeks," Kinvig told Newshub.
It's not the news Northland man Paul Jensen wanted to hear.
"I was absolutely horrified," he told Newshub.
Jensen runs Fresha Valley in Waipū, one of the largest independent milk processors in Aotearoa.
He has around four trucks driving along SH1 daily and the Brynderwyns' closure is taking a toll.
"It's a huge impact, because we're paying for another 140km per truck, per day, five days a week," Jensen said.
"It's not only the financial impact on it, but it's also the impact of things like staff welfare," he added.
In a statement, Transport Minister Simeon Brown said the slip emphasises the need for an alternative to the Brynderwyns and doubled down on the Coalition Government's agreement to build a four-lane highway.
Brown also said they'll even investigate the use of private finance to accelerate construction of the project.
And the mayor of Whangārei is keen to see an alternative too.
"The slip has put another emphasis on how important the Brynderwyns are to be moved and to replace them with something else, especially the four-laning," Cocorullo told Newshub.
In the meantime, businesses like Jensen's hope it'll be back to business as usual, as soon as possible.
