- Kia ora
- Creating a green corridor
- Te Horo School students pay us a visit
- Ōtaki College horticulture programme update
- Construction update
Kia ora
We’re making good progress on the PP2Ō Expressway project. Three big milestones have been met this month including completion of all site clearance and house relocations, finishing all the service relocation works around Rāhui and County Roads and completion of all the southern Ōtaki River Bridge piles.
This now frees us up to start work on the new local roads and helps us keep people and freight moving around the district while we build the expressway. The first of these roads to get underway is the Old Hautere Link Road that connects the western end of Old Hautere to Ōtaki Gorge Road.
Large-scale planting follows large-scale earthworks and this month we provide some insights into the project’s major landscaping programme, including extensive plantings of native tree species such as tōtara. We’ve also got local students involved in the process and you can find out more about this by viewing their digital update.
If you need any further information please call us on 0800 PP2O INFO or email pp2o@nzta.govt.nz
Ngā mihi
Andy Goldie, Project Manager
Creating a green corridor
Over 600,000 native plants, tress and wetland species will be planted along the PP2Ō Expressway corridor.
A ‘green corridor’ will be created by the PP2Ō Expressway stretching from Peka Peka to Ōtaki, with more than 40 hectares of plantings made up of over 600,000 plants and native tree species including more than 1,000 new tōtara.
The huge planting effort along the length of the project will result in increased numbers of native trees in the district at the end of the project.
Project landscape architect Stuart Dun says the design vision for the project is to create a “green corridor that enhances and accentuates the unique character of the area while reflecting the importance of the history and culture of the Kāpiti district.”
Planting palettes have been derived from local species to enhance the ecological benefits of the project and celebrate the distinct visual character of areas within the Ōtaki rohe [district].
Wherever possible pockets of native bush remnant have been protected and these will be enhanced with the additional planting once construction of the new local roads and expressway is complete.
Sadly some sections of native bush have had to be felled but before any of these remnants were touched extensive ecological checks took place. These occurred over many months before works began so we could find, capture and then relocate indigenous species such as the peripatus (velvet worm), lizards (geckos and skinks) and local snails (Powelliphanta traversii Ōtaki). A full story on the relocation of worms, lizards and snails can be found in our March 2018 newsletter.
All the ecological checks and felling works have also been overseen by DOC and project kaitiaki (iwi monitors) to ensure the correct protocols and procedures have been followed.
New planting will be undertaken between Hautere Bush and Cottle’s Bush around Old Hautere Road, where there are remnant stands of tōtara and native bush. The project will create connectivity between the two bush areas and individual trees by planting tōtara, titoki and mataī trees, as well as other pioneer species in these locations.
“Stitching together pockets of remnant native bush is important to enhance suitable habitat for local animals, birds and insects as well as providing ecological ‘stepping stones’ which link habitats throughout the project,” says Stuart.
Once established, the new plantings will become self-sustaining.
The project has been broken down into several broad character areas as mentioned below, each with a rich and diverse mix of native plantings and signature species.
- North of Ōtaki, the rural landscape will be maintained and plantings will be of species such as kānuka, mānuka, taupata and mingimingi
- Around Ōtaki Township, an urban and wetland environment where we will mitigate the effects of the expressway with plantings of harakeke, raupō and tī kōuka
- Around Ōtaki River we will maintain river views with lower planting
- The Hautere Plains are a mix of remnant tōtara forest and agricultural land, and these will be enriched with tōtara, titoki and other indigenous plantings, similar to Te Horo where we will maintain views of the mountains
- Between Peka Peka and Makahuri the remnant swamp forest will be enhanced by plantings of kahikatea, swamp maire, kānuka, mānuka and white maire.
All plants will be sourced and raised from local seeds that have been collected from the ecological district. They will be planted out and placed in 300mm of rich topsoil that will make use of peat and mulch stocks created by the project works.
Prepping the Ōtaki College site for seedling propagation.
Planting will be carried out in late autumn and early winter to ensure root structures have developed in time for the spring growth. The first planting season will be Autumn 2019.
Particular care has been taken to plan for plantings alongside sites of ecological significance, such as the Ōtaki Railway Wetland, Kennedy’s Wetland, and the major bush areas mentioned above. This will increase the habitat for local fish, insects and animals.
The greatest opportunity for ecological mitigation is at Makahuri, south of Mary Crest.
The site is next to a remnant of pukatea-kahikatea swamp forest which we will expand with further swamp forest planting to create an area of more than 1.1 hectares of wetland and swamp forest.
The finished area will be rich in biodiversity and will be fenced to keep stock out.
Iwi have been involved throughout the design of the planting, especially in relation to sites of ecological significance, such as Makahuri.
Our Landscape and Urban Design Plan (LUDP) has lots more information on our mitigation planting: Landscape and Urban Design Plan (LUDP) [PDF, 38 MB]
For more information, please get in touch with us through our 0800 7726 4636 hotline.
Te Horo School students pay us a visit
Staff on the Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway Project have been enjoying connecting with local kura (schools) from the start. Recently about 60 Te Horo School students came to visit us.
The kids piled off a bus at our Bridge Lodge site, overlooking the hustle and bustle of the Ōtaki River Bridge works.
The students had already been learning about structures and bridge construction, so came equipped with some pretty impressive questions for Structures Engineer Craig Service. Environmental Manager Alice Naylor and Foreman Glen Boyer were also on hand to chat about the ample career avenues within construction.
After morning tea in the site break room with the students, their questions and rapid note-taking makes us think this won’t be the last time we see some of these smart cookies on a construction site.
Te Horo School students visiting the PP2Ō Expressway project site.
Ōtaki College horticulture programme update
This month Ōtaki College media studies students catch up with other students involved in an exciting horticulture project for PP2Ō Expressway landscaping.
Construction update
North Zone (North of the Ōtaki River to Taylors Road)
Earthworks and construction for the abutments for Bridges 2 and 3. View our gallery for more progress photos.
Earthworks and construction continue for the abutments for Bridges 2 and 3 (north-west of the roundabout on Mill Road). Work is now taking place on all three abutments which we’re preparing to place bridge beams on over the coming months. The abutments will support two new bridges spanning the realigned railway and expressway.
The western footpath on SH1 in this area has been closed and pedestrians diverted via the rail underpass or via County Road. To keep pedestrians safe on County Road a temporary footpath has been created and vehicle traffic reduced to one-way southbound. This diversion will remain in place for the next eight months.
Works in Pare-o-Matangi Reserve are also underway and the top terrace is closed to the public while we work on relocating the railway line. Around Rāhui Road and County Road, service relocation works (gas, power, telecommunications and water) are complete.
Please slow down around all works and allow a little extra time for your journey.
South Zone (South of the Ōtaki River to Peka Peka)
Construction of the new Ōtaki River Bridge underway on the south bank. View our gallery for more progress photos.
Construction of the new Ōtaki River Bridge is underway on the south bank. This month you’ll notice the new bridge columns and crossheads starting to appear out of the river bed.
Over the coming months we’ll complete the columns and crossheads on the south side of the river, before re-training the river and completing the exercise on the north bank. The public river walkway on the north bank will remain open during construction but at times may need to be diverted. Access to the south bank is restricted around our works. For everyone’s safety please observe all site signage and stay out of work sites.
As mentioned above, we’re also preparing for work on the new local roads that form part of this project. This month our works will involve topsoil stripping and final site clearance. We’ll build the local roads first to make sure we keep people moving around the district while the expressway is completed.
South of Mary Crest we will start working on service relocations (gas, power, telecommunications and water) and moving the overhead power lines.
