26 April 2023

Kia ora and welcome to the Āperira edition of the O Mahurangi - Penlink project e-newsletter!

We have a range of exciting updates to share with you this month on early works, stormwater management, hybrid machinery, our upcoming community drop-in session, traffic management for sheep, and opportunities for local businesses and personnel. 

Vegetation clearing progress off Duck Creek Road looking towards the Wēiti River.

Revving Up for Main Works in October

The O Mahurangi - Penlink project is progressing steadily with several activities taking place throughout the month of April.  

Vegetation clearing

We have nearly completed felling trees in the Duck Creek Road area, with about 12.5Ha cleared to date.

Crews are now moving into the pine forest, where we've cleared 8.4Ha with about 18Ha remaining. We will also be moving to SH1/East Coast area for further vegetation clearing.

Vegetation clearing in the Whangaparāoa area will be completed later this year.

Temporary staging

Power relocation work and earthworks are underway to build our platform in preparation for the Wēiti River Bridge temporary staging works to begin in June.

Some of the power relocation work will be carried out early to mid-May and requires power to be shut down. Those affected will have received notification from the power company and we remind all users to treat lines live at all times.

Earthworks

As mentioned previously, Fill 9 is the largest on the project and located near Ara Wēiti Road. Filling continues in Fill 9 with material mainly from Cut 10. Material being placed is compacting well, with recent fill testing exceeding requirements.

We have nearly completed Cut 10, with less than 3,000 cubic metres to go. Topsoil spreading and batter stabilisation started this week.

The undercut in Fill 11 gully continues as we prepare for culvert installation.

Duck Creek Road

Duck Creek Road stays busy with a variety of work being carried out. Geotechnical investigations are being conducted over the next month to assess the soil and rock conditions, and machine deliveries are taking place to facilitate the work. The installation of new power poles on the road side has been completed with a larger double pole to be installed within the site.

The photo above shows the major progress of vegetation clearing off Duck Creek Road, looking towards the Wēiti River. This is an important step as we prepare for Wēiti River Bridge temporary staging to start in a few months.

Critters

Gecko spotlighting and rehoming work is wrapping up with the season ending at the end of April. A total of 401 critters have been found to date including 262 plague skinks, 47 ornate skinks, 76 geckos (forest and elegant), and 16 copper skinks.

To see more progress photos, head to our website's photo gallery.

The map above shows the 100 year event flood depth before O Mahurangi - Penlink is built.

The map above shows the 100 year event flood depth after O Mahurangi - Penlink is built.

Improving Stormwater at Whangaparāoa

Whangaparāoa Road currently experiences overtopping during extreme weather events. This means water rises over the top of the road and creates significant traffic disruptions and safety hazards. Downstream flows are also high, reaching 26 cubic metres per second (cumec). At 26 cumec, it would take about one minute and 36 seconds to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool (2,500 cubic metres).

We will be constructing three wetlands and an attenuation pond to lessen the increased runoff generated by the new highway. An attenuation pond controls stormwater runoff by holding and slowly releasing excess water. The wetlands will also provide water treatment.

Once completed, the new highway will not overtop in the one in two, 10, or 100 year events, as shown in the "After" map above. Additionally, there is a reduction in downstream flows during the 100 year event from 26 to 22 cumec. At a 22 cumec flow rate, it would take about two minutes and 16 seconds to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

The results are adjusted for Climate Change in the year 2121. They are subject to minor amendments through design and final Auckland Council approval. The proposed solution provides resilience and ongoing connectivity for the local area.

One of the CAT D7E hybrid bulldozers on our construction site.

Sustainability at Work: Hybrid Bulldozers

The O Mahurangi Penlink Sustainability Policy states that we must:

"Reduce embodied and construction carbon through smart design and methodologies in alignment with both the built environment action area in Te Tāruke-ā- Tāwhiri/Auckland’s Climate Plan and empowered by Te Hiringa O Te Taiao/Our Resource Effieciency Strategy."

One way we are reducing construction carbon is by using hybrid bulldozers on site to carry out excavation and earthworks tasks. These machines have proven to be an innovative and sustainable addition to our construction fleet.

Currently, we have four CAT D7E hybrid bulldozers on site to tow scoops. The bulldozers and scoops work in tandem to move large amounts of soil and rocks, aiding in progressing earthworks. 

CAT D7E bulldozers have a diesel engine that runs electric drive motors. Compared to an equal sized diesel dozer, hybrid bulldozers operate at a lower RPM and result in a 10% carbon reduction. This aligns with our commitment to reducing the project's construction carbon.

The hybrid bulldozers are working well with one bulldozer and scoop combination moving up to 800 cubic metres of material per day. To date, the total Cut 10 volume is 48,219 cubic metres and total dirt moved is 56,492 cubic metres. The hybrid bulldozers keep us on track to meet project deadlines while minimising construction carbon.

Community Drop-In Session

Want to know more about upcoming works and progress on the O Mahurangi - Penlink project?

Come along to our community drop-in session to meet the team and learn more about the project, including the Wēiti River bridge construction and temporary staging.

• Saturday, 13 May 2023
• 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
• Stillwater Boating Club, 70 Duck Creek Road, Stillwater 0993

Traffic management manages not only cars but regular sheep movements as well.

Ewe-nique Traffic Management

As we gear up for main construction works in October 2023, our team has been working closely with the community and adapting to their needs. This includes helping a local farmer move his sheep safely along the narrow and windy roads where site preparations are taking place on Duck Creek Road in Stillwater.

With the use of traffic management, the road is briefly closed to guide the flock past the site to another paddock to graze. The project straddles both urban and rural areas so we need to adapt when working with the local community.

An early morning meeting with the team on site.

Calling all Local Businesses and Personnel

Keen to help build a legacy and contribute to your local area? We are warmly welcoming all local businesses and personnel to contact us for service and supply opportunities.

The O Mahurangi Alliance takes health, safety and wellbeing personally and people always come first. If you’re a local and would like to be a part of our team please get in touch!

Location

We're looking for businesses and personnel located in the Hibiscus Coast region.

Contact Us

Email OMahurangiPeople@fultonhogan.com to learn more or offer your services.