Section 2: Final piece on Purewa Road will begin this Friday 21 October

Kia ora,

The final piece of the puzzle to complete Section 2 between Meadowbank train station and the Ōrākei Basin boardwalk will get underway soon and the construction crew will be back on site at the bottom of Purewa Road from Friday 21 October.

It’ll take approximately a week to re-establish the work site, then construction will get underway on the 4-metre-wide shared path, upgrading the road with parking spaces as well as a shared space at the end of Purewa Road. We plan to be completed by March 2023.

You’ll notice a few changes to pedestrian access in this area as construction progresses over the next few months, but there will be signage to help navigate your way through the area and minimise disruption to your walk, run or cycle.

When we began construction in 2020, there was already another construction team working in this area on a new apartment building at the end of Purewa Road.

Rather than clogging the area with multiple construction projects at the same time, we agreed to come back and complete this section later once the apartment construction was almost complete.

See below for details on the changes to access for people walking and on bikes between Friday 21 October and mid-December.

More details will come on access between December and March in the next update.

Stage 1: From Friday 21 October

While our crews work to establish the work site on Purewa Road, there will be a temporary adjustment on the northern footpath (closest to the train tracks). People walking and on bikes will be directed through the middle of the Purewa Road work site for one week while the current pathway is altered to suit the second stage.

*Please note these dates are approximate and are subject to change depending on weather restrictions and the construction programme.

Stage 2: Between late-October and mid-December

People walking and on bikes will move back to the northern side of the footpath (closest to the train tracks), in the same location as they are currently. This allows the path to be built on the southern side of Purewa road in front of the new apartment building.

Please take care when you’re on foot or bike through this area look out for our workers so everyone can get to where they’re going safely.

We’ll update you on any further changes to access through the area between December and March as they come to hand.

We appreciate your patience as we complete this final piece of work on Section 2.

The picture above shows the areas on John Rymer Place where we’ll be fixing the landscaping.

Landscaping repairs on the John Rymer Place path

You may have noticed the heavy rain this winter has damaged some of the landscaping work we completed on the John Rymer Place path connection and over the next couple of weeks, you’ll notice us on site fixing it up. We’ll be working between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Damage like this can occur during the first winter before the new plants have had time to fully establish their roots, but there is no issue of stability with the completed work. Our construction team needs to come back to site for a couple of weeks to repairs these areas with the warmer, drier weather arriving.

If you’re walking or biking through the area, you might notice an excavator and some small tip trucks bringing material in and out via the shared path. We’ll have traffic management on site to assist and help guide you through.

Though we expect minimal disruption, the width of the path will occasionally be reduced or momentarily blocked so trucks can maintain safe access.

Please take care when walking past our construction team and follow the directions from traffic controllers to keep everyone safe.

Section 2 wayfinding signage is coming!

People have been asking about wayfinding signs – because it’s not easy to find some of the many entrances connecting local streets to the shared path, especially along Section 2.

Temporary wayfinding signs have now gone up across at 20 locations (path entrances), while permanent wayfinding will be installed by the end of the year.

This has taken some time as it’s important we align all the wayfinding signage with the wider Auckland walking and cycling network. We promise it will be worth the wait and appreciate your patience.

More information

To find out more about the project, or you have any questions:

• visit www.nzta.govt.nz/GI2T or www.at.govt.nz/easternpath
• phone 09 355 3553
• email GI2T@nzta.govt.nz