Ōtaki to north of Levin project update – February 2021

We’re working to build a new highway for regional and through traffic by the end of the decade, as part of our programme to make travel from Ōtaki to north of Levin safer and more resilient and increase transport choices for the area’s growing population.

We hope you all had a safe and happy holiday and summer season. In this newsletter we update you on:

• News on refinements to the draft preferred alignment for the new highway coming up next month
• Safety improvements on State Highway 57 currently being tendered, with speed consultation coming up soon
• Upcoming site investigations for the new highway
• Invitation for new members interested in our Ō2NL Community Groups
• What is happening elsewhere in the corridor

Refinements to draft preferred alignment - coming next month

Since receiving feedback from property owners, the community and key stakeholders during consultation in August-September 2020, we have been continuing work to refine the draft preferred alignment of the new highway.

Geophysical surveys have been conducted in recent months to further investigate the suitability of this area, and other technical assessments (See ‘Site investigations for new highway continue’ section below) are being completed to help refine the draft preferred alignment.

Next month we’ll be ready to announce the refined draft preferred alignment of the new highway. We will be in touch with property owners ahead of the announcement to give an update on what areas we have altered and how it impacts them.

Preliminary design work will continue based on this refined version of the draft alignment as we complete the Detailed Business Case. This will provide information for the detailed analysis of the anticipated costs, risks and benefits of the preferred alignment and how it will deliver on expected outcomes.

Once this work is complete, we expect to be able to confirm a final preferred alignment later this year, and work will continue on preparing a Notice of Requirement and required consents.

It is not until the final alignment is decided that we’ll be able to fully understand the land requirement needed for the new highway. We expect to be in a position to talk with landowners about the land that will be needed for the new highway around the middle of next year.

We are also continuing investigations to further understand the environmental and social effects of the work – including possible noise and visual impacts. This is so we can consider how these impacts may be avoided, minimised or mitigated with design elements.

We’ll be providing updates as we go along and we'll soon have our Levin project office open one day a week for anyone who'd like to talk with the team. We'll be talking with some specific groups and individual property owners later in the year when the preferred alignment is finalised. The next phase of wider community consultation will be prior to RMA application lodgement in 2022.

The Arapaepae Road (SH57)/Queen Street intersection, where the new roundabout will be built.

SH57 safety improvement work out to tender

In early 2020, we announced the planned roundabout at the Arapaepae Road/Queen Street intersection and the painted wide centrelines on SH57 between the SH1 intersection and Heatherlea East Road.

In our December 2020 update we let you know there were some changes to the scope of the SH57 safety improvement work, with additional stretches of side barrier.

Tenders for the construction contract of this project closed this week and are currently being assessed.

We’ll provide you an update on expected timings of the work in our next project update.

SH57 speed consultation coming up

Last year we began looking at the speed limits on SH57 between the SH1 intersection and Shannon.

During our engagement period in mid-2020 we asked for your thoughts on the current speed limits on this road, and since then we have reviewed your feedback and have been conducting technical work to help determine what is safe and appropriate for this road.

When we have completed our assessments, we will progress to the formal consultation stage of the speed review process for SH57. This is expected to open in about a month and involves us sharing a detailed proposal with people and asking for additional information that might have an impact on the final decision.

We will let you know how you can submit your feedback on the proposal closer to the time. Keep an eye on project updates for details.

When the consultation period ends, the feedback will be considered and a final decision will be made. This will be published on our website and the public will be notified.

To learn more about the speed review process, please see the Speed Management website.

Site investigations for new highway continue

As we continue to refine the alignment of the new highway, we are undertaking a range of environmental assessments. Currently, wetland, aquatic and terrestrial ecology surveys are taking place in the area surrounding the new highway corridor.

Over the coming months investigations relating to the nature of the land in the area include fresh water and ecosystem mapping; hydrogeology maps; further geotechnical surveys; arborist survey; and soil moisture and groundwater monitoring surveys.

We will also be investigating the local flora and fauna, including looking at lizards, birds, bats, threatened invertebrates (including snails); and undertaking a threatened plants survey.

In addition, will be surveying potential archaeological interests.

In total, preparation is currently underway for about 360 surveys involving 140 properties. This work helps us understand the environment where the new highway will be sited, guides design work and helps avoid or manage potential impacts.

Some investigations and surveys will take place outside the draft preferred alignment and the 300m wide preferred corridor. This does not indicate the location of the new highway, but rather it helps us understand the wider area and environment in greater detail.

We will always contact property owners to arrange access to properties for these kinds of investigations, and we do appreciate their support for this work. If you have any questions about how this process works, please email O2NL@nzta.govt.nz.

Ō2NL Community Group meetings

We established Ō2NL Community Groups last year to work more closely with the communities in Manakau, Ōhau, Levin and north of Levin about the new highway. Small community meetings make it easier for local people to know what is going on and where to find information.

This year, we would like to invite interested people from these communities to join us for these meetings. We plan to hold 3-4 meetings throughout 2021, when the Ō2NL programme has important updates to share about the new highway and our work on existing highways.

If you would like to be invited to join the Ō2NL Community Group meetings in your community, please email O2NL@nzta.govt.nz.

Coming up next

SH1 from Ōtaki to south of Levin

We have been having discussions with a range of interested people and groups about the safety improvements on SH1 south of Levin, including stretches of median barrier, wide centrelines and a roundabout at the SH1/SH57 intersection.

The feedback from these discussions will directly inform design work for this project, and we are looking forward to sharing our resulting proposals through an engagement period in about two months.

At that point, we'll also invite your feedback on the speed limits on SH1 from Ōtaki to Manawatū River.

SH1 from Levin to Manawatū River

Since December 2020, we have been meeting with the community to begin conversations on plans for safety improvements and the longer-term plans on SH1 north of Levin.

The work with the community will help inform the scope of this project and we are expecting to host wider community engagement sessions later in the year.

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-SH57-safety-improvements to find out more about the proposed safety improvements for SH57, 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.

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