Community update

25 February 2022

Making our city more resilient, connected and vibrant

Welcome to the RiverLink Community Update – the first for 2022 – to keep you informed about the project and what’s coming up in February/March 2022.

Investigation works

As mentioned in our previous update, there’s a lot going on leading up to consent and then construction due to start in 2023. This includes investigation works which involve gathering information so we can better understand the ground conditions and what kind of construction materials will be required for the project site.

Checking the ground and underneath
It’s important to understand what types of material will be needed to support the design and construction processes, know that we have the best information to price the construction work and keep whatever we do construct safe. Also, we wouldn’t want to accidentally dig up a pipe or break any cables once construction starts.

You may have recently seen people around Lower Hutt carrying out some of the surveying investigation works that have already started.

The images below show surveyors acquiring topographical information from various locations, using the tools of their trade - GPS, total station and mobile road scanning.

Topo (short for topographical) land surveys show the contour and specific location of human-made or natural features on a particular piece of land. A topo helps us to integrate our construction design into the surrounding features (such as making sure infrastructure is built at the correct height and position) and avoid any potential clashes.

Market operating under RED traffic light setting

The Riverbank Market continues to run every Saturday from 6am-2pm, but with extra COVID-19 precautions in place since moving into the RED traffic light setting.

Market stalls have been spread out across the north end of the Riverbank car park to allow for social distancing while people buy their weekly fruit and veggies.

Now that Omicron’s in the community, we encourage anyone attending the market to follow safety precautions: wear a face mask, scan the QR codes, keep at least one metre distance between you and others, and use hand sanitiser.

For more information and advice about COVID-19 (omicrom and RED traffic light signal, Phase 3, look at the COVID-19 page on the Ministry of Health website).

RiverLink container open to visitors

We’re opening the RiverLink container up to visitors on Saturdays during February and March (weather permitting) – from 8am to 2pm. So, come along, look at the information on display and pop any questions you have in the box provided.

There’ll be a musician playing from 11am to 1pm, so bring your lunch, stay a while and enjoy being by Te Awa Kairangi.

The musicians/bands that’ll play at the container are part of Hutt City Council’s programme called Sound Bites2 – an event being run around central Lower Hutt.

You’ll find the RiverLink container in the carpark, just along from the market, near the blue and green painted area (as seen in the photo).

Update on the referral process

The RiverLink team have now filed their evidence to support the project for the hearing with the Environment Court in a few months.

For further details about RiverLink, the resource consent documents, the referral process and evidence filed with the Environment Court, visit:

RiverLink Resource Consents & Notices of Requirement | Have Your Say | Greater Wellington

Scroll down to the heading ‘Applicant’s evidence – Environment Court’ on the right-hand side.

Frequently Asked Questions

We've put together the following answers to some commonly asked questions.

RiverLink is a combination of three separate but interdependent projects, delivered as a single programme of works that will transform Lower Hutt.

It's a partnership between Hutt City Council, Greater Wellington, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika and Ngāti Toa Rangatira to deliver flood protection, the revitalisation of Lower Hutt’s central city and Melling transport improvements.

More information

More information on the RiverLink project is on our website (issues of all our Community Updates are also on this site in the News section).

Website: www.riverlink.co.nz

If you have a question, send our team an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can:

Email: riverlink@gw.govt.nz