Te Ara Tūtohu: Waitara to Bell Block

11 October 2023

Kia ora!

Read on for the latest updates on Te Ara Tūtohu: SH3 Waitara to Bell Block safety improvements project.

Thanks to everyone who came to our drop-in session

A big thank you to everyone who came to our drop-in session last month to speak with the team about the project.

If you couldn’t make it, but have some questions you'd like to discuss, email us at w2bb@nzta.govt.nz

Princess Street roundabout and pedestrian underpass progress

The team at the Princess Street site are making great progress – with works expected to be complete by mid-2024.

Work on the underpass is progressing well with the retaining walls now complete. Over the next couple of months, the team will be focussed on completing the pavement for the path and installing fences and guardrails before they start work on the northbound lane in December.

On the southbound lane, the team are close to finishing stormwater works and have also laid a concrete base layer on the approach to the roundabout. Next they will seal the area, and then apply three layers of asphalt. 

With most of the underground works now complete, you will start seeing the roundabout visually come together very soon!

Dirty water in, clean water out

If you’ve driven through the Princess Street construction site, you may have seen a big orange box with a couple of hoses coming out of it. This piece of equipment is called a Siltmate and is key in making sure we respect the local awa.

Through the process of constructing the roundabout, rainwater and groundwater need to be pumped out of trenches (for things like the underpass and stormwater pipes) to allow the team to complete their work. This water contains sediments from the ground so before we can release it into the stormwater network, we need to treat it. This is where the Siltmate comes in.

Water is pumped into the Siltmate which filters out the sediments before releasing the now clean water into the stormwater network. The water that comes out looks clear enough to drink!

A key focus of the project is treating the taio (environment) with respect – using tools like the Siltmate is one way we achieve this.

Drive safely through the site

We have recently had some instances of dangerous driving through the site which put our team and other people driving on the road at risk. Please remember to adhere to the speed limit, and only travel through the site when the traffic lights are green.

If you have any feedback about the traffic management, please email us on w2bb@nzta.govt.nz.

More information

For more information on Te Ara Tūtohu: Waitara to Bell Block, contact us at w2bb@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/w2bb