Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui – Greater Wellington 2023 update

Investment in Greater Wellington during the 2021-24 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) is focused on enabling more people to use sustainable travel options like walking, cycling and public transport, and on improving the safety, reliability, and resilience of the region’s road network.

Completed in the last 12 months

• The Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway (PP2Ō) was completed and opened in December 2022, creating a new stretch of SH1 that connects with the MacKays to Peka Peka Expressway.
• As part of the PP2Ō project, a 10km shared path for pedestrians and cyclists was opened in May 2023.

Underway or about to start

• Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi, the Alliance that will deliver the RiverLink programme, was formed in April 2023. The programme is now in detailed design and planning, with construction expected to start later in 2023.
• Good progress was made on key walking and cycling projects connecting Wellington with the Hutt Valley, which make up Te Ara Tupua:
  • Construction continued on the Pito-One (Petone) to Melling section, expected to open in August 2023.
  • Construction began on the Ngā Ūranga ki Pito-One (Ngauranga to Petone) section. Work is underway on Honiana Te Puni Reserve in Pito-One and enabling works along the coastal section are in place.
  • The first ‘bay’ section of Hutt City Council’s Tupua Horo Nuku (formerly Eastern Bays Shared Path) was completed by Te Ara Tupua Alliance.

Better travel options

Wellington already has the highest proportion of people who use public transport in the country, with 30% of journeys made by public transport modes and walking or cycling. Despite this, Wellington is the fourth biggest contributor to transport carbon emissions, so we need a significant shift in the way people travel, by making it easier to use low-emissions travel options.

Our investment during the 2021-24 NLTP will support an integrated and well-designed land transport system to help people use different ways to move around for many of their journeys. This investment will help to reduce regional transport emissions.

Improving safety

Safety in Wellington continues to be a focus, with deaths and serious injuries having increased at a higher rate than population growth. People most at-risk are cyclists and pedestrians in the urban areas, and those travelling on high-risk motorcycle routes and high-risk rural roads.

The SH58 safety improvements and the new SH2 Melling Interchange (being delivered as part of Te Wai Takamori o Te Awakairangi - RiverLink) will help improve safety on existing roads, especially at high-risk intersections and on high-risk roads, while major projects recently completed, including Transmission Gully and PP2Ō, are providing improved safety through the provision of new infrastructure.

Completed in the last 12 months

• Regular overnight shutdowns on SH2 Remutaka Hill Road enabled annual maintenance and slip prevention work to be completed.
• During the summer construction season, we resurfaced 22.2 lane kilometres and resealed 17.8 lane kilometres. Our maintenance teams also responded to a number of major incidents including clearing major slips on SH58 at Haywards Hill and SH59 at Pukerua Bay.

Underway or about to start

• Work continued to make SH58 safer for everyone, with work now underway on the section between Harris Road and east of Moonshine Road. The consenting process continues for the proposed works for the final stage from Moonshine Road to Transmission Gully Interchange.
• SH1 Ōtaki to Ohau safety improvements are underway and a speed review was completed with safer speeds implemented in December 2022, to ensure everyone who uses this stretch of road can get where they’re going safely.
• The SH2 Ngāūranga to Featherston safety improvements are progressing. Safety improvements over the Remutaka Hill are due to begin in late 2023, new median barriers are under construction in Upper Hutt between Whakatiki Street and Fergusson Drive, and design work is well advanced for intersection safety improvements at high-risk intersections in both Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt.
• Work continued on safety improvements on SH2 between Masterton and Carterton, with main construction work expected to be finished by the end of August 2023. Median barriers and new roundabouts at three intersections will improve safety. Safer speed limits were implemented on SH2 between Masterton and Featherston in January 2023, following consultation completed in 2021.

Improving freight connections

The Wellington region is constrained geographically and is vulnerable to earthquakes, severe storms, landslides and sea level rise. It is critical we ensure people and goods have reliable and efficient access to key destinations in the region, such as the Wellington port, ferry terminals, airport and hospitals.

During the 2024-27 NLTP, we’ll look to continue improving the resilience of two main corridors, SH1 and SH2, to help protect this constrained access.

Major roading infrastructure projects such as Te Aranui o Te Rangihaeata Transmission Gully motorway and PP2Ō Expressway are helping provide secure, reliable and safer routes in and out of Wellington. The next stage of the Wellington Northern Corridor, the Ōtaki to North of Levin new highway, is expected to begin construction in 2025.

Wellington is a vital gateway for freight and travel between the north and south islands and we’re working with our partners to improve the resilience of this inter-island connection.

Let’s Get Wellington Moving

During this NLTP period, the programme continues to focus on delivery of the short-term ‘Transitional Programme’, while planning and investigation work for the major projects is underway.

Completed in the last 12 months

• A new signal-controlled walking and cycling crossing on SH1 Cobham Drive was completed in January 2023.
• Initial Central City Walking Improvement projects have been implemented providing safer, more convenient walking routes and crossings.

Underway or about to start

• Construction began on Stage 1 of the Thorndon Quay Hutt Road project with the roundabout on Aotea Quay underway. Stage 2 (Thorndon Quay) is expected to begin in September 2023.
• The Golden Mile project has secured key approvals and funding. Early works are expected to begin in September 2023, and main construction in mid-2024.
• Public engagement was completed in 2023 for the first tranche of People Friendly City Streets projects, including Miramar to City Connection, John Street to Taranaki Street Connection, and Featherston Street and Southwest Te Aro.
• Major projects Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), Basin Reserve Improvements and an additional Mt Victoria Tunnel, collectively known as the ‘Transformational Programme’, are now in the detailed investigation phase and continuing to progress.

Funding overview

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