Stage 1 (Huapai to Waimauku)

Environment Court appeal decision

We are pleased to share that a decision on the Environment Court appeal for Stage 1 has been released and our designation has been confirmed.

At the end of 2020, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency issued a Notice of Requirement to alter the existing designation for safety improvement works. A landowner appeal was then made to the Environment Court, and a hearing held in August 2021. The decision was released in November 2022 in favour of Waka Kotahi and there were no further appeals. 

Next steps

The design for Stage 1 (Huapai to Waimauku) is complete, and now the process to construct the SH16 Stage 1 safety improvements can begin. Waka Kotahi expects to tender for a construction partner in early 2023. Based on the current programme, work is expected to start by mid 2023.

Stage 2 (Brigham Creek to Kumeū)

Consent information lodged with Auckland Council

We have now lodged consent information with Auckland Council to seek the necessary approvals to construct the project. This includes the Notice of Requirement to alter the existing designations along SH16, and regional consent applications. 

Design plans can be viewed on our website or via the links below. 

• Design plans
• Landscape plans
• Cross section designs

Community drop in session

Thank you to those who have taken the time to share their thoughts on the project to date. More than 70 people came to see the draft plans of the project and talk with members of the project team on 12  October at Te Manawa. Teams from Te Tupu Ngātahi Supporting Growth and Auckland Transport  joined us to share information about other related projects in the Northwest.

There were some great questions asked at the session. The key ones were:

1. What will the pedestrian crossings look like and why are they needed?
2. Will there be any changes to the speed limit?
3. Why is the project taking so long?
4. Why is the shared path needed?
5. Will these improvements help congestion?

Take a look at the answers to these and other questions on our FAQs page and read on for more information about pedestrian crossings.

Safe pedestrian crossings

Crossing points near new and existing roundabouts between Brigham Creek and Taupaki will be installed, to enable people walking and cycling along the new shared path to safely cross the highway to access bus stops and other key destinations.

At the community drop-in session, we heard a lot of questions about raised safety platforms, in particular: what they look like, where they would be located and why they were needed.  People asked whether these are appropriate along a rural state highway and there were some concerns about the impact of the crossings on traffic through SH16. 

Want to know more? We have put together an information sheet with more detail on the pedestrian crossings with maps, images and FAQs. It also includes the example of the Thomas/Gordonton intersection near Hamilton, where a raised safety platform has improved safety on a similar high-speed rural road.

Next steps for Stage 2

Auckland Council will soon decide who will be notified about the resource consent application, and those notified will be able to lodge a submission. We don't know when this decision will be made. More information and an overview of the Notice of Requirement process is available here. We’ll keep you updated on progress while the consent information is processed by Auckland Council.

In 2023 Waka Kotahi will start the Public Works Act (PWA) process to secure the necessary land for the project. The next phase under the PWA is undertaken by Land Information NZ (LINZ) accredited suppliers.

More information

For more information on the SH16 Brigham Creek to Waimauku safety improvements project please visit our webpage - 

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/sh16-brigham-creek-and-waimauku/             

Or drop us an email SH16SafetyImprove@nzta.govt.nz