- Kia ora
- New Year’s railway works go to plan
- 2019 – A big year ahead
- Road layout changes for State Highway 1, north of Ōtaki
- Mirek Smizek kilns relocation and restoration project
- Living history – video update
- Construction update
Kia ora
Happy New Year! As we return to work refreshed we look ahead to another year of dramatic change to the local landscape. We’ve got a lot to get done and things will continue to change as we move people around our works and start to open up new sections of local road to the community. We’ll continue to keep you posted every step of the way and encourage you to share information with your friends and neighbours, please invite them to sign up for these regular updates if they are not already receiving them.
Before we get into the year ahead I want to extend a really big thank you to residents living close to the rail works we completed over the New Year. Your patience and understanding allowed our 24-hour shifts to run without incident and the team got the job done well within time. We couldn’t have done this without your support!
More on this piece of work below along with a snapshot of what’s planned for the year ahead, an update on some important traffic changes to State Highway 1 as well as an update on the Mirek Smizek kilns and our regular construction update.
If you need any further information on the PP2Ō Expressway project please call us on 0800 PP2O INFO or email pp2o@nzta.govt.nz
Ngā mihi
Andy Goldie, Project Manager
New Year’s railway works go to plan
Over New Year between 30 December and 2 January a small crew with a lot of big machinery came back to work on the rail track. We want to share a really big thank you with all nearby residents for your patience and understanding with the 24-hour shifts we needed to work. We had a short window of time, with no trains, to get work done on the track and the round-the-clock shifts ensured we kept travellers and freight moving on schedule following the break.
Over 72-hours, 55 people moved and reinstated 135m of rail track at the railway station and PP2Ō Expressway Bridge 3 area.
The works included:
- Excavating 9,000 cubic meters of peat
- Placing 10,000 cubic meters of structural fill
- Placing 350 cubic meters of railway ballast
- Removing and replacing 135 meters of railway track
The works were completed seven hours ahead of schedule and the Northern Explorer delivered its passengers safely to Auckland later that day.
2019 – A big year ahead
2019 is set to be another year of big changes to the local landscape. Local roads and new bridges will continue to be a big focus and people will begin to move around the region in different ways as we complete and open up new sections throughout 2019. At a glance here are some of the milestones we’re working towards.
Expect to see:
- Bridge 1 – The Waitohu Bridge structure substantially complete by Christmas 2019
- Bridges 2 & 3 – State Highway 1 Traffic over the new bridges in stages between February and March 2019
- Bridge 3 – Trains diverted onto the realigned track under Bridge 3 after Easter 2019
- Bridge 4 – The Rāhui Road Bridge complete and opened to local traffic spring 2019
- Bridge 5 – The Ōtaki River Bridge structure substantially complete by Christmas 2019
- Bridges 6 & 7 – Ōtaki Gorge Road traffic travelling over the new bridges spring 2019
- The new sections of School Road and Gear Road complete and opened to local traffic by summer 2019
- Bridge 8 – The School Road Bridge structure substantially complete by Christmas 2019
- Bridge 9 – The Mary Crest overpass structure well underway by Christmas 2019.
A new arterial road from Te Kōwhai Road to Mary Crest Convent complete and open to traffic by Christmas 2019.
Road layout changes for State Highway 1, north of Ōtaki
In early February 2019, northbound traffic on State Highway 1 will be switched onto a new section of road across Peka Peka to Ōtaki (PP2Ō) Expressway Bridges 2 and 3. Southbound traffic will continue to use the existing bridge over the rail on SH1 in this area.
Temporarily splitting the traffic allows us to keep both north and southbound traffic flowing and create space to work safely on the final tie-in of the new and old sections of SH1 across PP2Ō Bridges 2 and 3.
The works will be completed in different stages so expect things to change in this area. A range of traffic management measures will be in place, including stop/go controls and areas where traffic travelling in both directions will need to use one side of the road while the other side is being worked on.
All traffic (including southbound) is expected to be switched over to the new road by March 2019.
A temporary speed limit of 30km/h will stay in place through this area. Things are changing, it’s really important to slow down, pay extra attention, stick to the speed limit and stop for red lights at the pedestrian crossing.
Mirek Smizek kilns relocation and restoration project
Homestead and historic kilns of world-famous potter, Mirek Smisek, with State Highway 1 in the background.
This year the project team will be working closely with Heritage Architect Ian Bowman and the Mirek Smisek Ceramic Arts Trust to move two pottery kilns of internationally known ceramic artist Mirek Smisek.
Preparation is underway for the delicate operation to move what are believed to be the last remaining beehive kilns of their type in New Zealand. The kilns will be moved a short distance to the east of their current location in Te Horo, out of the way of the new expressway, to become the cornerstone of a new ceramic arts centre incorporating the applied arts of Tangata Whenua.
The Mirek Smisek Ceramic Arts Trustees include Kāpiti Coast locals Tony Hartevelt (Chair), Carla van Zon ONZM, Jenny Shearer, Hine Tahuparae, Susi White, Paul Greenaway and John Draper.
More information on the history and background of the kilns and Mirek Smisek can be found in the April 2018 earlier edition of Express CONNECT and we’ve also shared again a short video update produced by Ōtaki College students on the kilns project last year.
The project team will have an information stall at The Lavender Farm Fair(external link) at Te Horo on 9 and 10 February 2019. The fair will be raising funds and seeking public support for the project which is being driven by a group of local residents.
Mirek Smisek's historic kilns.
Aerial view of Mirek Smisek's historic kilns.
Living history – video update
This video was produced by Ōtaki College students in April 2018 and profiles the history and future vision for the historic kilns site.
Construction update
North Zone (north of the Ōtaki River to Taylors Road)
Waitohu River Bridge piling works are now complete.
In the North Zone we’ve finished piling works on the new Waitohu River Bridge (Bridge 1). Works will pick up in this area later this year once we’ve finished all the columns and crossheads on the Ōtaki River Bridge (Bridge 5).
Construction continues on Bridges 2 and 3 (north-west of the Mill Road roundabout). Late January we’ll be switching northbound traffic on the new bridges. The works will be completed in different stages so expect things to change in this area. A range of traffic management measures will be in place, including stop/go controls and areas where traffic travelling in both directions will need to use one side of the road while the other side is being worked on.
All traffic (including southbound) is expected to be switched over to the new road by March 2019.
A temporary speed limit of 30km/h will stay in place through this area. Things are changing, it’s really important to slow down, pay extra attention, stick to the speed limit and stop for red lights at the pedestrian crossing.
Work in the Pare-o-Matangi Reserve and railway station area continues as we prepare to switch the rail tracks over to their new alignment under Bridge 3 at Easter.
The Chrystalls Bend public river walkway on the north bank of the Ōtaki River continues diverting people around our work site. The diversion is well signposted and fenced for your safety and remains in place until around June 2019. For everyone’s safety please observe all site signage and stay out of work sites.
Works on the Ōtaki River Bridge may at times increase river flows in the deep channel. Swimmers in this area should pay attention to the warning signs in place and take extra care.
Things are really busy out there, so please slow down around all works and allow a little extra time for your journey and we thank you for your continued patience.
South Zone (south of the Ōtaki River to Peka Peka)
Looking south along the expressway and new Old Hautere Link Road alignment.
Beam installation and deck construction continue on the south side of the new Ōtaki River Bridge (Bridge 5) and access to the south bank remains restricted around our works.
Work on Bridges 6 and 7, that will carry Ōtaki Gorge Road over the expressway and the rail track, continue and are progressing well.
From mid-February we will be closing the Old Hautere Road intersection with State Highway 1 and temporarily diverting residents east via the Ōtaki Gorge Road and Old Hautere Road intersection, then Ōtaki Gorge Road and SH1 intersection. This will allow us to complete tie-ins and pavements for the new Old Hautere Road link road which will provide a more direct connection with the Ōtaki Gorge Road/SH1 intersection.
We’ve started work on Bridge 8, the local road bridge that will connect east and west Te Horo over the rail track and expressway. These works are underway opposite Hyde Park on Te Horo Beach Road and involve construction of a reinforced earth abutment.
We’ve constructed a haul road on KiwiRail land alongside Gear Road. This haul road allows large truck and trailers to cart material south of Gear Road with minimal impact on the local roads. There’s a truck crossing point on School Road which gives priority to local road traffic. This will be in operation for several months with traffic management and a speed restrictions in places.
South of Mary Crest we continue to lay preload material. This process effectively squashes down the underlying peat. We layer-up much more material than we need to leave it to sit for approximately three months, or until it has reached the right level of settlement. At this point the top layers of preload material are removed and the road pavement is applied. There’ll be continued stop/go traffic management in place on Te Hapua Road in conjunction with the preload works.
