Ōtaki to north of Levin project update – March 2022

We’re working to build a new highway for regional and through traffic by the end of the decade, as we focus on making travel from Ōtaki to north of Levin safer and more resilient, as well as increasing transport choices for the area’s growing population.

Construction is well underway on safety improvements on both SH1 and SH57 and we’ve made great progress on the business case and consent preparation for the new highway. We have also discovered a little piece of history at the site of the new roundabout on Queen Street East.

SH1 South of Levin

Chip sealing work for the SH1 safety improvements at Kuku is now complete. Thank you for your patience during this construction period which has been delayed by weather, Covid-19 and the holiday shutdown.

Contractors will be back on-site on 27 March to install safe-hit posts (flexible marker posts) and rumble strips (audible tactile profiles). This work will be undertaken over three nights.

This will complete the current improvements at Kuku. Later this year, we will install side barriers and improve driveway accesses in the area, as part of the wider SH1 south of Levin safety improvements project.

80km/h speed limit in place at Kuku.

80km/h speed limit at Kuku

When the current safety improvement work at Kuku is completed, an 80km/h speed limit will be in place between the existing 80km/h zones at Manakau and Ohau.

This will be in place for the remainder of the year, as our review of permanent speed limits from Ōtaki to Levin is completed.  Following community engagement last year and further technical work, formal consultation on proposed speed limits will begin in the coming weeks.

Stage 2 work underway on Arapaepae Road, the road is being widened in the foreground and the side barriers in the background are complete.

SH57 safety improvement work update

Construction is continuing on SH57 and the SH57/Queen Street East roundabout.  We are working closely with Horowhenua District Council to manage traffic while this important work is completed.

Work on stage 3 (between Tararua Road and Queen Street East) started on 9 March – with traffic operating two-way in this stretch. The northbound detour remains in place while stages 1 and 2 are under construction (between SH1 and Tararua Road).

We will be sending residents in the corridor an update on the SH57 roadworks shortly. If you’d like to be included in this update please email O2NL@nzta.govt.nz or call 0508 625 4636.

Ō2NL Section between Queen Street East and Tararua Road Notice of Requirement

In February, we lodged a Notice of Requirement (NoR) for a 2km section of the Ō2NL new highway between Queen St East and Tararua Rd. This NoR was lodged to provide certainty for the planning processes and route protection.

The NoR for the remaining 22km of new highway will be lodged later in 2022 – this will provide the community with more certainty about the entire project and confirm what is being used for consenting.

The NoR document is available to read on our Technical Reports page.

Levin to Foxton update

Design is still progressing on safety improvements on SH1 between north of Levin and Foxton. We have been working with key stakeholders and impacted property owners to progress this work.

Stretches of painted wide centrelines, side barriers and median barriers, alongside turnarounds and a new roundabout are all being proposed along this route.

These safety improvements have been developed through public meetings and workshops with representatives from Poroutawhao Community Group and Waitarere Beach Progressive and Ratepayers Association.

We’ll be sharing the proposed changes more widely in the middle of this year.

Upcoming engagement

We will be coming back to the local community to share the preferred alignment and other important project information in the coming weeks. This will include progress on locating the new highway, connections, environmental assessment and our plans to address any possible effects identified.

We’ll be hosting public events, both in-person and online, to give you the opportunity to talk with the team and have your questions answered before providing your feedback.
Look out for further information in the next project update.

Unexpected wood and nail fragments found at the SH57/Queen Street East roundabout site.

Archaeological find at SH57 site

Our contractors made an unexpected find while working on the new roundabout at SH57 and Queen Street East in January. The digger team noticed straight lines in the dirt at the bottom of the trench they were excavating under the old road.

Archaeology and heritage specialist Daniel Parker (inSite Archaeology) investigated the timber and nail fragments and the news was shared with Muaūpoko kaitiaki. The nails date back to about 1900 and the wood was identified as the remains of a culvert running east-west alongside Queen Street to direct the flow of water underneath Arapaepae Road.

New Zealand Railways’ standard wood culvert designs were widely used by people outside of the railways during this period.

The trench was backfilled and work stopped at the site to protect the find. Appropriate protocols and reporting procedures closed our unexpected find process.

More information

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/o2nl to find out about our work in the corridor or check out:

• www.nzta.govt.nz/o2nl-proposed-new-highway for information on the new highway, or
• www.nzta.govt.nz/o2nl-safe-speeds, to find out more about speed, or
• www.nzta.govt.nz/o2nl-safer-roads-and-roadsides to find out more about the work to make our existing roads and roadsides safer.

Our email newsletters will let you know when there is new information on our website.

Do you know people who want to know more? They can subscribe here.

For more information on the Ōtaki to north of Levin programme, contact us at O2NL@nzta.govt.nz or call 0508 625 4636.