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Stage 2 safety improvements gets funding boost

Work on State Highway 58 Stage 2 safety improvements from Mt Cecil Road through to the Transmission Gully Interchange is being brought forward with funding from the New Zealand Upgrade Programme (NZUP).

The $6.8 billion NZUP investment road and rail is an important economic stimulus package supporting growth, improving safety and providing travel choice. It will create jobs, save lives and get our cities moving.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Principal Project Manager Chris Nally is excited about advancing work that delivers safety benefits for one of Wellington’s major routes.

“I’m over the moon, this funding ensures these critical improvements will make the road safer and more reliable for the 14,000 or so road users who travel it daily, while creating jobs at a time when we really need them.

“The second stage of improvements, combined with work on Stage 1 already underway on SH58, will make this key route in the Greater Wellington region much safer and provide improved access. Stage 2 improvements include realigning curves, widening road shoulders for cyclists and vehicles wanting to pull over, installing median safety barriers, constructing two new roundabouts and bridge widening improvements,” says Chris.

The NZUP funding is good news for local communities, councils and transport-related organisations who advocated strongly for the SH58 improvements to be funded and brought forward to improve safety on the highway.

Chris says the project team is looking at design and implementation of the Stage 2 improvements to find ways of working closely with the nearby Transmission Gully project so that customers are least impacted by the build.

“Large numbers of vehicles will be on the road during construction, so we’ll need to sequence the work to minimise disruption to traffic.”

“Customers can expect to experience some delays, during the two to three years of construction activity. They will see changes fairly early in the piece.”

Resource consent applications for the work are well advanced and will be lodged soon with the councils. Plans are afoot to progress discussions with landowners about land required for the improvements. While the Covid-19 rules create some restrictions, further site investigations and assessments using technology, are enabling us to advance the design work.

Construction on Stage 2 is expected to start mid-year and be completed in 2023.

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SH58 Construction Manager Dean Bennett

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Work advances on State Highway 58

Work is progressing on SH58 Safety Improvements between the Haywards Interchange and Mt Cecil Rd, with more work for road users to look forward to over the coming weeks and months as the COVID-19 alert levels shift. 

A large portion of the project’s earthworks had already been done just prior to the nationwide move to COVID-19 Alert Level 4.

“Earthworks covering an entire area at the top end of the hill near Mt Cecil Road were completed,” says Construction Manager Dean Bennett.

“The banks were all hydroseeded before lockdown and are now looking vibrant and green”.

As well as the earthworks near Mt Cecil Rd, approximately thirty percent of the earthworks near the Haywards Interchange have also been completed. In total 25,000 cubic metres of soil and rock has been removed this year.

There has also been good progress made with the installation of environmental controls and the laying of granular pavement on the east bound lane – which is the final step before asphalt is laid.

Work on the project was put on hold during Alert Level 4, with the only onsite activity limited to site monitoring.

“We did a daily check to see if there was anything dangerous from a traffic management or environmental perspective, but no additional works were undertaken during the lockdown,” Dean says.

With the return to COVID-19 Alert Level 2, there will continue to be a lot more activity on the project, including ongoing earthworks at the bottom of the hill near the SH2 Interchange.

Early this month crews started laying asphalt through the middle section of the site and begin the granular pavement construction near the top of the hill.

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Health and safety big priority on site

Under Covid-19 Alert Level 3, state highway maintenance activities and work on projects like the SH58 safety improvements resumed. This work restarted with strict health and safety protocols in place for workers and road users.

Construction work on SH58 required a specific COVID-19 plan to work safely at Level 3, which aligned with strict industry standards provided by Construction Health and Safety NZ.

“If work required the crew to be within two metres of each other, then there was special mandatory PPE (personal protective equipment) such as latex gloves and the P2 mask they had to wear,” says Construction Manager Dean Bennett.

“But based on the type of works we were doing, the team probably didn’t have to use additional PPE.”

Work crews were also prepared for emergency situations, which would require them to be within two metres of each other.

“We’d identified potential risks in areas of emergencies and unforeseen scenarios, where they may have needed to encroach within the two metres, so it was compulsory that everyone carried on them a mask, a portable sanitiser, and gloves as well,” Dean says.

Additionally, all the subcontractors were split into three separate work bubbles, with each bubble having a dedicated break area.

With the return to Alert Level 2, there will still be health and safety restrictions in place for the benefit of workers and road users. If you’re driving through the SH58 worksites, please continue to be patient, respectful and look out for our workers safety and wellbeing. These people are doing vital work to help keep everyone safe.

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More information

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For more information on the SH58 improvements project, contact us at sh58safety@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/sh58-improvements

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