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Project update |
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20 June 2024 |
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Kia ora and welcome to the latest newsletter on Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway – the 11.5km route to reconnect the Manawatū, Tararua District, Hawke’s Bay and northern Wairarapa, replacing the closed State Highway 3 Manawatū Gorge route. |
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The first asphalt layers are put down on Fill 9 and Cut 12 of Te Ahu a Turanga. First asphalt a crucial step for road constructionConstruction of the road surface on Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway is underway with the first layers of asphalt being laid. Since asphalting started in early May, more than 5000 tonnes has been laid, mostly at the western (Ashhurst) end of the highway. A total of 110,000 tonnes of asphalt will be used on the project, which translates to about 9200 truck-loads. Asphalt will be supplied from two asphalt plants; one near Bulls and another on the site. The road surface (pavement) is made up of several layers, which, all combined, are 790mm thick. After earthworks are finished, pavement construction begins with the placing of lower subbase, a 350mm-thick layer of aggregate that’s compacted using rollers. On top of this, the 230mm-thick subbase is constructed using a layer of aggregate mixed with cement to stabilise it. This layer is then chip sealed for stability. The next layer is 160mm-thick structural asphalt. This formula is very strong, resistant to moisture, and holds up well on steep gradients. A final 50mm asphalt surfacing layer will be laid on top closer to the road’s opening. A convoy of machinery is needed to apply the asphalt. It starts with a truck, which tips the asphalt into a machine following closely behind. That machine disperses the asphalt evenly along a conveyer belt out the back and into the paver, which has a screen that ensures the asphalt is spread out on the road to the right level. A roller then goes over it to compact the asphalt. Elsewhere around the project, good progress continues to be made on the major structures, with another significant milestone being reached at the 300-metre-long Parahaki Bridge, across the Manawatū River. The team has completed the first ‘stitch’ connecting the main bridge deck between Pier 1 and the southern approach or ‘abutment.’ Having poured 26 of 54 segments which comprise the bridge deck, the team is on track to complete all segments by the end of this year. Over the river at the Eco-Viaduct Bridge, 7 of 11 sections of the bridge deck have been poured. The final pier is due to be completed this month, after which the remaining sections of the bridge deck will be poured. This bridge is also on track for completion by the end of the year. Working alongside the construction teams are the project’s landscapers, who have already planted more than 55,000 plants since the start of the season in April. This year they aim to put 560,000 plants in the ground, bringing the project plant total to 1.8 million. The highway is scheduled for completion in mid-2025. To view the latest flyover video of the construction progress, which this month includes a comparison between January 2021 and May 2024, head to our project page. Below: Work is progressing well on the Eco-Viaduct Bridge, with the final pier pour soon to be completed. Members of the landscaping team braving challenging conditions to plant alongside the highway. |
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Site ecologist Caitlin Lavery (orange vest) shows students and staff how to collect samples from a stream near the site. Project knowledge used to further studiesStudents from Manukura School who worked with Te Ahu a Turanga staff to gain an understanding about ecology and kaitiakitanga (guardianship) will be able to use this knowledge to further their studies. Groups from the Palmerston North school visited the site on three occasions in 2024 to assist the work being done by the ecology and kaitiaki (guardian) teams. The information gained from these visits has been used towards assessments that required the students to gather and examine data from an environment impacted by people. On the first visit, the students went to a stream near the Eco-Viaduct site, where they collected samples. The stream runs through an area of native bush and is filled with tiny aquatic creatures, which is a sign of a healthy waterway. At the second trip, they collected samples from the Mangamanaia Stream, at the Woodville end of the project, which allowed them to take similar samples but this time from an open stream. Comparing the streams' water quality helped the students to understand the different factors that impact on an environment; allowing them to explore ways those changes can be prevented or reversed. On the third and final visit, they visited stream diversion 18, located in Zone 3, which is an artifical stream that flows into a wetland. At this visit, they assisted the kaitiaki team with capturing tuna (eels) for tests, which were used by the students and the project to monitor the health of the aquatic life. Project kaitiaki also provided the students with an overview of the Te Ao Māori perspective on protecting the environment and how this approach has worked alongside the western science views of the ecology team. At the conclusion of the visits, the students gave a presentation to project staff at the school’s campus near Massey University, in which they revealed some of the insights they had gained about the infrastructure industry. Below: Project kaitiaki Cory Skipper speaks to the students near the project site. |
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From left Sarina Pratley (NZTA), Stefan Gilmour (HEB), Linda Stewart (NZTA), Brett Gliddon (NZTA), Minister of Transport Simeon Brown, Rangitikei MP Suze Redmayne, Lonnie Dalzell (NZTA), Stephen Paewai (Rangitāne ki Tamaki nui a Rua), Grant Kauri (NZTA) and Jarrod Franklin-Browne (HEB). Transport Minister makes first trip to Te Ahu a TurangaMinister of Transport Simeon Brown and Rangitikei MP Suze Redmayne made a successful first visit to Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway in May. During the visit, Te Ahu a Turanga’s iwi partners led a mihi whakatau at the site office near Ashhurst to welcome both guests and provide context about the project. The guests were then taken to see the construction site, which included heading to the top of the bridge deck on Parahaki Bridge, where they saw the considerable progress on this major structure, while also taking in fantastic views of Te Āpiti – Manawatū Gorge. The guests got a first-hand view of the first layers of asphalt being laid at the Ashhurst end of the project, while also taking in the magnitude of Cut 13, the largest cut by volume on the highway with more than 2.4 million cubic metres of earth removed. The Minister’s trip concluded in Zone 3, located in the Te Āpiti Wind Farm, which is where an asphalt plant is being built to supply some of the material needed to construct the road. Supporting the Minister and MP on the day were staff from the project, NZTA and local iwi. Below: Minister of Transport Simeon Brown and Rangitikei MP Suze Redmayne visited the bridge deck of Parahaki Bridge near Pier 1 (right of picture). |
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Students from Tararua College, in Pahiatua, at the Parahaki Bridge construction site. Students experience construction on highway siteThe Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway team has continued its efforts to provide opportunities for young people in the region interested in infrastructure and construction. The project recently invited groups of high school students from Tararua College and Feilding High School to the site to learn about the jobs required to build a highway, and to see some of the machinery up close. The visits were managed alongside Talent Central, a regional entity that facilitates work and training opportunities. During both visits, the students were greeted with a mihi whakatau, led by the project’s iwi directorate, before project members gave an overview of the project and its people. Te Ahu a Turanga employs between 300 and 350 people who work across a range of roles, including engineering, earthworks, survey, design, commercial, wellbeing, kaitiaki, administration, quality, labouring, ecology and more. On both occasions, the students were kitted out in safety gear and taken to the site to see the progress, including Parahaki Bridge across the Manawatū River, pavement construction and completed earthworks sites (Fill 9, Cut 13). The tours ended at the Zone 3 compound, near Cook Rd, where trainers, Geoff Cooke and Colin Landy spoke to the students about opportunities in operating and earthworks before showing some of the heavy machinery including excavators, dump trucks and bulldozers. The project also worked with Connexis, which provides infrastructure training for staff on the project, and Fulton Hogan during a recent Girls with High-Vis event in May. Girls with Hi-Vis provides female students with an opportunity to experience the infrastructure industry through trades and construction-focused events. As part of the event, 25 students from Palmerston North Girls’ High, Feilding High School and Cornerstone Christian School were given an overview of Te Ahu a Turanga by Earthworks Manager Clare Miller before visiting Parahaki Bridge where site engineers Emily Kang and Caitlin Bailey spoke to them about their work. Below: Students from Palmerston North Girls’ High, Feilding High and Cornerstone Christian School came to site as part of a Girls with Hi-Vis event. Students and staff from Feilding High School listening to Goodmans Contractors trainer Colin Landy speak about working on a major project. |
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More information |
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For more information on the Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway, please use one or more of the following methods:
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