First section of Bridge Piling complete

At the southern end of the project, the team have completed the first section of underground piling of four out of eight piles. Our team made the most of the Easter long weekend to finish drilling 15-20 metres underground and lowering the structural cages such as the one shown below with no disruptions to the state highway or the rail line. The last four underground piles will commence in December 2024.

Image below: Structural cage being lowered into ground.

Ministers and Media check out Te Ara Tupua

Nearly eighteen months after work began on Te Ara Tupua, Minister for Transport Simeon Brown and Minister for Infrastructure Chris Bishop were welcomed to the western end of Honiana Te Puni Reserve  on an unusually calm Wellington afternoon.

Staff from Te Ara Tupua Alliance and Waka Kotahi, and representatives of Taranaki Whānui and Ngāti Toa accompanied the manuhiri (guests) to the project.

It was the Ministers’ first visit to the construction site, alongside journalists who had been reporting on the progress of the project and an opportunity for them to physically see and experience the narrow and unforgiving terrain on the seaward side of the rail.

“Te Ara Tupua is a project that has been talked about for nearly 100 years, it is all part of an integrated walking and cycling network which is awesome” proclaimed Minister Chris Bishop. “It’s a great example of what progress looks like through the Covid19 fast track consenting regime” he continued as journalists asked about the government’s position on the consenting process for Te Ara Tupua. 

For Te Ara Tupua, the Covid 19 fast-track process accelerated the timeline for approval, but it did not reduce environmental requirements. The project’s location on the harbour’s edge also means some unique considerations to protect marine habitat. Although some of the requirements are significant, the Alliance team reviewed the conditions and design features, and made changes where possible to ensure the delivery is as cost-effective as it can be.

We look forward to providing the Ministers with an update on the progress of the project and inviting them for another visit in the next year.

Image below: Chris Bishop, Minister for Infrastructure and Simeon Brown, Minister for Transport on the northern end of Te Ara Tupua.

Concrete reef unit after being removed from mold.

Enhanced reefs being cast

Construction of the enhanced reef units is well underway, with the first cluster of pyramids being released from the mold. The concrete reef units are designed to attract fish and enhance existing marine habitat off the western edge of Te-Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington Harbour. As per consent conditions, these will help offset the loss of marine habitat due to the construction of Ngā Ūranga ki Pito-One section. 

Initial ecological and cultural monitoring with our iwi mana whenua partners has commenced with our divers assessing and documenting existing seabed of proposed reef site and comparing these to other sites with similar features, so we can track the impact of the reef initiative over time.

More information

For more information on the Te Ara Tupua project, contact us at TeAraTupua@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/TeAraTupua