Over the last two weeks the five shared path trusses have been attached to Waikanae Bridge on old SH1.

Trusses attached - end of closure much closer

With the good progress that’s been made on the Waikanae Bridge shared path to date, we expect to open both lanes to traffic next month. While it’s still subject to potential delays from weather and other unexpected events, we're on track to have both lanes open to traffic in both directions by late April.

Work on the Waikanae Bridge progressed well over the past fortnight. We attached the fifth and final truss on Thursday, which was a significant milestone in the project. Once fully installed, the shared path will make crossing Waikanae River safer for pedestrians and cyclists, and better separate drivers from those walking or cycling.   

The next steps are to add decking to the shared path, install handrails and balustrades, then add side safety barriers to the bridge and its approaches. The work on the side safety barriers is quite technical and complex, involving drilling into the bridge deck to bolt the barrier supports. This means the lane will be required for the workers and their equipment.

Once that part of the project has been completed, with the side barrier installed, we’ll be able to safely reopen both lanes.

When both lanes have opened, there’ll still be some work left before the completion of the project and the opening of the shared path. This work will include constructing the adjacent shared paths to tie-in with the bridge, as well as surface markings and installing signage.

Plan your journey

With more people using the detour route, Te Moana Road in Waikanae and Kāpiti Road in Paraparaumu are busy at peak times.

Our team at the Wellington Transport Operations Centre continue to monitor traffic on the detour route using CCTV and traffic sensors. They control the phases of traffic lights along state highways. Throughout the project they've been adjusting the timing of green lights to avoid queues forming, and to clear them as quickly as possible if they do form.

They've also been observing the busiest times and have created the guide above to help you plan your travel. Expect delays at peak times and allow extra time for travel (or avoid travelling during these peaks if you can).

On Te Moana Road, 8am is peak time on weekdays.

On Kāpiti Road, 8:30am to 9:30am is the heaviest times on weekdays, with other busy peaks at 3pm on weekdays and at 11am on weekends.

Old SH1 is open for people travelling north. Using old SH1 when you travel into Waikanae will help make it easier for us to manage traffic on the detour route for people heading south.

Thanks for bearing with us while we work on the bridge. We know it's disruptive when travel routes are changed. We're working quickly to finish the project and get to a stage where we expect to reopen both lanes on the bridge by late April.

Waikanae is open for business

While these works are happening, please remember you can still travel north over the bridge when you’re heading in to Waikanae, only needing to take the expressway going south. Getting to Waikanae from Peka Peka, Otaki or further north is unaffected by the works.

Waikanae is open, and with over 200 businesses, you may be able to find what you need locally. Please support local if you can.

For more information on what's available, check out the Waikanae Business Association on their website and on Instagram.

More information

For more information on the Mackays to Peka Peka corridor improvements project, contact us at m2pprevocation@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/m2pp-revocation