- Kia ora
- Information days
- Connecting Peka Peka
- Shared pathway update
- Creatures count in construction of PP2Ō Expressway
- PP2Ō Expressway video diary
- Construction update
- Customer satisfaction survey
Kia ora
The final push has arrived as we prepare for construction work on the PP2Ō Expressway project to begin in earnest.
Main construction is scheduled to begin in November and this weekend we are holding Information Days in Ōtaki and Te Horo to make sure you get the full story about what’s happening direct from the PP2Ō Expressway project team.
The NZ Transport Agency will also be at the information days seeking your feedback on options for improving connections to and from the Mackays to Peka Peka Expressway in the area between Peka Peka and the Ōtaki River.
The Transport Agency team will also present options for a shared path as part of the PP2Ō Expressway project. You will be invited to give feedback before confirmation of a final design.
These information days are a great opportunity for locals to understand what’s going to be happening in terms of construction and also to contribute to the final design features of the expressway.
At the bottom of this newsletter you’ll find a Customer Satisfaction Survey which you're invited to complete. We ran an initial survey some months ago to find out what kind of information you wanted to see coming from our team, and this survey gives you the chance to tell us how we’ve been doing.
We will be inviting you to provide feedback via these surveys regularly during construction of the project so please do take the time to let us know your thoughts.
Ngā mihi
Andy Goldie, Project Manager
Information days
Main construction of the PP2Ō Expressway is scheduled to start in November and we think it’s important you get an accurate picture of what’s happening, when and how.
The PP2Ō Expressway team and other experts will host information days for residents at Ōtaki and Te Horo on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 October.
The project team will run a series of presentations on aspects such as bridges and culverts, earthworks and archaeology, landscaping and urban design, health and safety, employment and training.
Come along to meet the project team and have a chat about the upcoming summer season of construction. They’ll have a suite of diagrams, maps and information boards on hand to answer any questions you may have.
View schedule of presentations [PDF, 154 KB]
The information days will be held at:
| Location | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Māoriland Film Hub(external link) 68 Ōtaki Main Street (opposite The Arcade) Ōtaki |
Saturday 28 October 2017 | 10.00am to 2.00pm |
| Te Horo Community Hall(external link) 54 School Road Te Horo |
Sunday 29 October 2017 | 10.00am to 2.00pm |
Connecting Peka Peka
View of Peka Peka Interchange looking north.
The Transport Agency is currently investigating options for improving connections to and from the Mackays to Peka Peka Expressway in the area between Peka Peka and the Ōtaki River.
The project team is working with representatives from well-established stakeholder groups to identify options. The stakeholder groups include Kāpiti Coast District Council, iwi, community liaison boards and other community groups.
Information days are being held on 28 and 29 October where the PP2Ō team will seek feedback from affected communities on the options that have been identified. From there, a Single Stage Business Case (SSBC) will identify the best form of increased connectivity and provide a case for the preferred option.
Find out more at: www.nzta.govt.nz/ConnectingPekaPeka or email the project team at ConnectingPekaPeka@nzta.govt.nz
Shared pathway update
In June, the Transport Agency received a wide range and scope of feedback in the first stage of designing a shared path as part of the PP2Ō Expressway.
The design team has used the information gathered to develop a series of options, and will share these with the community at the information days on 28 and 29 October.
Representatives from the Transport Agency will present options for the shared path and invite feedback and discussion from residents in the area, and others who plan to use the path, before a final design is confirmed.
Creatures count in construction of PP2Ō Expressway
Scouring the bush for lizards, trawling streams for native eels, mudfish and inanga (a species of whitebait) and searching for elusive Ōtaki land snails, are all in a day’s work for ecologists working on the new PP2Ō Expressway.
Ahead of the diggers and big construction machinery, a huge effort is underway to find and relocate protected native species within the area of the proposed road.
The requirement to relocate ‘at risk’ or ‘threatened ‘species is part of a raft of resource consent conditions road builders must comply with to minimise adverse effects on vegetation, animal, bird, fish and other species during the construction of the expressway.
Environmental Manager Alice Naylor says reducing environmental impacts has become a priority for modern roading projects.
“It’s no longer good enough for us to impose a structure on the landscape. Environmental care and mitigation must be foremost in our minds right from the planning stage.”
To make up for the loss of natural vegetation in the road footprint, about 13 hectares of ecological planting is planned. It will include indigenous forest, wetland restoration and riparian planting at ecological hot spots. This will be linked with another 38 hectares of new native landscape planting along the project.
Alice says a host of other things are being done to safeguard the welfare of various creatures that call the area home.
“During construction we’ll be salvaging old logs to form new homes, away from the roadway, for species such as lizards and snails. Construction schedules will be adapted to work around the breeding season of birds such as dotterels and we’ll be creating new nesting areas for them upstream of the Ōtaki River Bridge site.
“Stream diversions will be created and all culverts are designed to allow fish to move freely up and downstream of the road to complete their life cycles.”
Measures to limit the environmental impacts of the new road also extend to the welfare of two-legged creatures. When construction starts, there will be strict monitoring to assess any dust, noise and vibration effects for nearby residents.
If you have any concerns about possible impacts on you or your family, you can contact us at 0800 7726 4636 or email pp2o@nzta.govt.nz
PP2Ō Expressway video diary
Check out Ōtaki College media studies students' coverage of our ecologist in the field surveying fish stocks in local stream.
Construction update
Vegetation removal along Ōtaki Gorge Road.
Work is ramping up, as the PP2Ō team progresses the preparations needed for the main construction activity to begin in November.
The main focus will be in North Zone (from the north bank of the Ōtaki River to Taylors Road), where vegetation clearance, house removals and demolition work is already underway.
We’ll be making a start on bridges 2 and 3 over the railway line and the expressway to the north of Ōtaki (see map). These will be built to the west of the current State Highway 1 (SH1) bridge that crosses the railway track.
This needs to be done first because we need to move the railway track. From the north end of Ōtaki Railway Station about 1.3km of track will move west and away from County Road (see map). This realignment takes out a sharp bend in the track and gives us the space to build the expressway between the track and County Road.
County Road will remain as it is currently.
When building the two bridges, the current SH1 north of the Mill Road roundabout will remain open to ensure there is no effect on traffic flows. When the two bridges are ready, SH1 traffic will be rerouted onto the new bridges, and the rail track will be repositioned.
Only then can we get on with constructing the expressway in this area.
The bridge building will start with earthworks, ground improvements and foundation works. People living nearby can expect to see regular updates about the construction work arriving via flyer in their letter box or by email.
The PP2Ō team will also continue to work on the new Ōtaki River Bridge, including fencing off work areas, vegetation clearance and bore holes in preparation for building the piles. A total of 18 columns will support the 330-metre new bridge. The public walkway will remain open at all times during construction of the new bridge but at times may need to be diverted.
In South Zone (from the south bank of the Ōtaki River to Peka Peka) main works won’t really pick up until the second quarter of 2018. Until then the focus will be on clearing vegetation, house removals and demolition work.
The PP2Ō team has also started archaeological investigations. These start in the north and move progressively south to focus on specific areas that have been identified through historical records and local research as being likely to contain archaeological sites.
With new work sites and site entrance points popping up all along the alignment, motorists should slow down and pay extra attention.
Work sites are dangerous places, so please observe all site signage, stay outside our fences and help keep everyone safe.
Customer Satisfaction Survey
The project team would like your feedback about our communications with the community for construction of the Peka Peka to Ōtaki (PP2Ō) section of the Kāpiti Expressway.
