Melling Interchange design

The design for the State Highway 2 Melling interchange was revised  to identify where improvements could be made.  

This type of innovation and improvement is normal practice of the Interim Project Alliance Agreement (IPAA), where we work with the delivery alliance to review the project’s design, plan how it will be built, and find opportunities to improve value for money.  

The revised concept design (pictured below) provides better access to/from the state highway, Lower Hutt and Western Hills by building a grade separated interchange and removing the existing SH2 traffic lights at both Melling and Block Road intersections.

It also includes new and improved walking and cycling paths, better connections for residents on Tirohanga and Harbour View roads, and better access to public transport (with the relocation of the Melling train station and its park and ride facilities.

An artist’s impression of what the new Melling Interchange on SH2 will look like.

Other benefits of the revised design include:

• Less congestion/more efficient travel during peak periods.
• Improved safety for all road users by:
  • removing the existing conflicting right-hand turn movement to and from SH2 northbound
  • reducing the risk of accidental right hand turns onto SH2 ramps, or straight through movements from Marsden Street onto the southbound SH2 off ramp, an improvement over the original consented design.
• Reduced number and length of pedestrian crossings on the interchange when travelling between Lower Hutt and the Western Hills.
• The inclusion of a wider shared path over the state highway and river bridges, plus connections to other shared paths (e.g. Te Ara Tupua).
• 1.5m shoulder on the northern side of the new bridges for on-road cyclists travelling from the Western Hills to Lower Hutt.
• Less environmental impact by reducing the amount of vegetation clearance and slope cuts in the Western Hills, alongside fewer retaining walls and a smaller bridge footprint.

The interchange is part of the SH2 Melling transport improvements, which is part of Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi, a combined programme which includescritical flood protection work, transport improvements and city centre infrastructure upgrades.

Project map

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