SH1 Wellington Improvements

5 February 2026

The two boreholes will be drilled using a track-mounted rig, similar to the image above, to a depth of approximately 6m. The cut area for each borehole will be approximately 500mm by 500mm which will be reinstated to ground level and include a ‘toby’ cover (approximately 150mm diameter) for ongoing access to the groundwater monitoring pipe.

Weather dependent, this daytime work in Kilbirnie Park is planned for Monday 9 February and Tuesday 10 February 2026.

This is the first of several hydrogeological investigations along the SH1 Wellington Improvements project route which we will keep you updated on as we go.

For any queries about this work, feel free to email us at our project email address below.

Crew members working on the Mt Victoria geotechnical investigations

Geotechnical investigations in the Town Belt are almost complete

Since mid‑November last year, our crew has been working in the Wellington Town Belt undertaking geotechnical investigations to support planning for the second Mt Victoria Tunnel.

The work has progressed well and is scheduled to be complete in a few weeks’ time.

Thank you to nearby Hataitai residents and Town Belt track users for your patience during this time. We have enjoyed your interest in this work, and our site-based crew have appreciated your friendly chats as you passed by.

The investigations are collecting 4 deep core samples to provide critical insight into local subsurface conditions to help inform the next design stages of the project. We plan to share more about what we found in future e-newsletters.

The drill rigs are currently working on the final two borehole locations, with the demobilisation of one rig expected over the next few days and demobilisation of the other rig later in the month. Once the work is complete, we’ll be carrying out reinstatement works in the areas where we have been including returning tracks to their original condition (or improving in some cases).

Signage throughout the area informing track users of the temporary track closures and available detour routes remain in place and will be removed once the last tracks are reopened. For more details, including a live track closure map, visit the Mt Victoria geotech webpage

Community information day at the Harbourside Markets, Sunday 23 November 2025

Thank you for your feedback during our project engagement!

We received just over 2,400 feedback submissions from our community engagement on the proposed design for the project, which is a great response. Thank you also to those who came to one of the 6 drop-in information sessions across the city during the 4-week engagement period last year. We found your insights helpful, and enjoyed the opportunity to discuss the project with you in more detail. 

Later this month, we’ll publish an initial summary of what we heard. The summary will be available on the project webpage, and we’ll email the link to those who submitted feedback. 

We received insights from a cross-section of the community for the project team to consider in the next stage of the design process. 

Feedback from this community engagement will be considered alongside our ongoing engagement with councils and our mana whenua partners as well as the private landowners, businesses, schools, and community groups near the project area to help us refine the design.  

Thank you again for taking the time to engage and share insights on your commutes across the Wellington region.

More information

For more information on the SH1 Wellington Improvements project, contact us at SH1WgtnImprovements@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/sh1-wellington-improvements