- Kia ora
- Utilities progress during PP2Ō construction
- Paving the PP2Ō Expressway
- Getting to know our bridges - Bridge 1
- We're seeking your ideas for a time capsule
- Upcoming construction milestones
Kia ora
Welcome to the November edition of the PP2Ō Expressway construction update – Express Connect.
As we’re fast approaching the end of the year, it’s timely to reflect on the events we’ve held and milestones we’ve achieved in 2021, as there have been many!
At the start of the year, Bridge 8 (School Road Bridge) at Te Horo was completed and opened to the public. We’ve received lots of positive feedback about the new bridge, as well as the spectacular views from the bridge of how the Expressway is progressing.
At the other end of the project, north of Ōtaki, we shifted the intersection at Taylors Road and SH1 to make way for the northern PP2Ō Expressway tie-in (where the new Expressway will join the existing state highway). We also celebrated the opening of the Ōtaki Gorge Road/SH1 intersection more than two weeks ahead of schedule.
More recently, we completed the temporary SH1 diversion north of Ōtaki, opened the southern section of the shared path at Peka Peka and poured the last concrete on Bridge 9 (Makahuri Rail Overpass).
While all these achievements were being accomplished, we also:
- created six new wetlands
- planted 158,292 of the 830,000 plants along the Expressway
- relocated approximately 20km of underground utilities
- installed roughly 18km of ducting for electronic signage, CCTV and traffic monitoring equipment.
And let’s not forget the great progress our pavement team has been making.
With the temporary northern diversion now complete, we can continue work on the Expressway tie-in at that end of the project area. Our team is putting in the hard yards to finish Culvert 1 (which will carry the Greenwood Stream or Wai-o-rangi), as well as drainage and utility works at Winiata Link Road. This work is expected to be completed this summer.
It’s great to see our community enjoying the newly-opened shared path at the southern end of the project area and we’ve received many positive comments about it, which we really appreciate.
I understand how a major project like PP2Ō can cause disruption to people’s lives, so a big thanks to you all on behalf of the entire team for your patience.
Our project team will have a well-deserved break for the Christmas holidays with our last day on site being Tuesday, 21 December and work starting again on Wednesday, 5 January. If you need to contact the team during the break, please ring 0800 PP2O INFO or email pp2o@nzta.govt.nz. For emergencies, please call the Police on 111.
If you need any further information, please visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/pp2o(external link), call us on 0800 PP2O INFO or email pp2o@nzta.govt.nz.
Ngā mihi,
Chris Hunt, Project Director
Utilities progress during PP2Ō construction
Our utilities team has made great progress relocating the power, telecommunications, gas, water and sewer services located in and around the new Expressway.
We’ve now completed 90% of the underground works, including relocating roughly 20km of underground utilities and 5km of overhead powerlines. This includes critical infrastructure such as the national fibre backbone, which passes through the project area in four different places.
Work on installing Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) above ground has started. The ITS include the electronic messaging signs that will be positioned along the route, CCTV cameras and traffic monitoring equipment which, once the Expressway is completed, will be controlled by the Waka Kotahi Traffic Operations Centre in Wellington. The ITS will provide people with the latest information about road conditions and journey times, and allow Waka Kotahi to ensure the road is operating safely and smoothly.
Streetlight installation is going well, with 130 of the project’s 230 streetlights (90 on the local roads and 40 on the expressway) and 10km of streetlight ducting now installed by our crew.
We’ve also completed 8km of culverts and stormwater lines and laid 25km of subsoil. For some perspective, the amount of trenching we’ve done for this work would be equivalent to digging a single trench all the way from Ōtaki to Wellington!
Street lights north of Rahui Road overbridge.
Paving the PP2Ō Expressway
The majority of the earthworks are now complete, which means the paving team can continue their work. 82% of the base layer of aggregate mixed with cement has been completed along the Expressway and we’re hoping 95% will be done by Christmas. Areas programmed to be finished include the southern tie-in with the Mackays to Peka Peka Expressway, just south of Bridge 9 (Makahuri Rail Overpass), near Bridge 6 and Bridge 7 (Ōtaki Gorge Road Bridge), and the northern tie-in (north of Bridge 1 or Waitohu Stream Bridge).
Our crew is about halfway through applying two layers of deep lift asphalt on top of the aggregate. By early December about 56% of the first layer of asphalt – AC20 – and about 53% of the second layer of asphalt – AC14 – should be complete. We’re currently working on the north zone of the Expressway, before moving to the south zone in December.
A 25mm final layer of asphalt, called Epoxy Modified Open Graded Porous Asphalt (EMOGPA), will be applied on top once we get closer to opening. EMOGPA reduces road noise, minimises spray from vehicles when it rains and provides a smoother surface.
A fourth type of asphalt, Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA), will be used on the ramps and bridge decks. This type of asphalt is beneficial in high loading areas, as well as places where more braking and acceleration occurs, as it has more texture and grip. We’ll start laying SMA later in the summer.
Our team has to constantly deal with changing weather conditions and coordinate their activities with other teams, often in very space-constrained areas. It’s extremely challenging work and they’re doing a fantastic job, with outstanding results.
Flying south, looking east.
Getting to know our bridges – Bridge 1
The Structures team has been hard at work to finish Bridge 1 (Waitohu Stream Bridge), the northern-most bridge on the PP2Ō project, just south of Taylors Road.
The crew recently added the final touches to the bridge, including concrete barriers, a handrail, drain holes, and stainless-steel mesh netting to help prevent birds nesting and living underneath the bridge.
This ‘super-T’ concrete bridge (named for the T-shape of its concrete beams) is a significant piece of the project. It’s a vital part of the tie-in works at the northern end of the new Expressway, as it allows it to connect with the existing SH1.
Planting and landscaping are going well at both ends of the bridge. The southern end is now finished and plans are for the northern end to be completed during the next planting season, likely from April 2022.
Bridge 1 in numbers (so far!):
- 8,270 hours of labour (excluding beam installation and piling)
- 340 tonnes of steel
- 93m length of bridge
- 32 beams
- 30 barrier fascia panels
- 4 piles
- 2 bridge crosshead piers.
The thirty fascia panels placed along the bridge are not only decorative, they also serve as a road safety barrier on the bridge.
Flying south, looking east over Bridge 1.
Bird netting under Bridge 1, over Waitohu Stream.
We're seeking your ideas for a time capsule!
Submissions are open for items to be placed in the time capsule.
Much of what we know about our history has come from artefacts that tell stories of our ancestors. If you could leave a piece of Ōtaki to be discovered by future generations – what would it be?
PP2Ō is seeking ideas for items to be included in a time capsule which will be placed underneath one of the Interchange Gateway Sculptures (gifted to the community as part of the project). The time capsule theme is ‘Your Ōtaki – what Ōtaki means to you’. This includes contemporary views, historic documents and artefacts that provide insights into how Ōtaki came to be, the place it is today and what it means to the community.
Anything placed in the time capsule must be dry and non-perishable, so items made from materials like paper, plastic and glass may work best. “Think broadly” is the request from the project team.
If you would like to submit an item to be considered for the time capsule, please email pp2o@nzta.govt.nz.
Upcoming construction milestones
Northern area update
- Culvert 1, which will carry the Greenwood Stream (Wai-o-rangi), is planned to be completed by December 2021.
- Bulk earthworks between Taylors Road and Bridge 1 (Waitohu Stream Bridge) are going well and will be substantially completed by Christmas 2021.
Central area update
- Winiata Link drainage and utilities work is planned to be completed by Christmas 2021.
- Wire rope barrier and ITS foundations have been completed.
Southern area update
- Bridge 9 (Makahuri Rail Overbridge) is now complete.
- We’ve laid approximately 50% of asphalt on the Expressway between the Makahuri Rail Overbridge and Peka Peka.
