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Project update |
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13 March 2023 |
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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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Earthworks on Cut 13, the largest cut on the project, are nearing completion. Important milestones reached on highway projectMore than 5 million cubic metres of earth has been moved on the Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway site as the project edges closer to reaching the total earthworks target of six million cubic metres. The earthworks teams are in a good position to complete this milestone in 2023, however the final million cubic metres will be slower due to the saturated ground conditions in Zone 3, where most of the remaining work is to be done. Temporary works are in place on top of pier 1 of the Parahaki Bridge, which will support the first section of the super-structure (the part of the bridge that the road will be built on). The pier 2 column is on track to be completed in March, with pier 3’s column pour also getting underway in March. On the other side of the Manawatū River at the Eco-Viaduct bridge, the team is preparing to receive the first delivery of beams, which are being made in Napier. The first beam is 47-metres-long and 4.8-metres wide and is due to arrive in March. Eleven of 12 columns are now completed on this structure. At the Woodville end of the project, work has started on ground improvements at the Mangamanaia Stream Bridge. This work creates a series of in-ground concrete columns that protect the bridge abutments from scour during major flood events. The landscaping teams are busy preparing new sites for planting this year, while also conducting pest control. About 450,000 native plants are expected to be planted this year, with 300,000 of these along the highway itself. The third landscaping season is expected to start in April. Captions below: A view of the Eco-Viaduct site from north abutment; much of the remaining earthworks on the project is in Zone 3. |
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Debris built up along the temporary staging and at the pier sites of the Parahaki Bridge during Cyclone Gabrielle. Debris cleared from bridge site after Cyclone GabrielleThe project's structures team have cleaned and assessed the Parahaki Bridge site after Cyclone Gabrielle caused high flows in the Manawatū River. While most of the site was spared the worst of the weather that battered the country in February, the heavy rain in the Tararua ranges impacted the Parahaki Bridge construction site over the Manawatū River. In the early hours of 15 February, the water levels reached their highest since construction began in January 2021, spilling over the coffer dam of pier 2 in the middle of the river. The raging waters caused debris to build up at the coffer dam and temporary bridge staging. Following the Cyclone, project staff assessed the impact to the staging and cleared the debris, which took about one week. Some repair work is needed on one section of the staging area. The rainfall had little impact on the wider site, though floodwaters from the Pohangina River cut off access to the site via the Saddle Road for a couple of days. To assist in the recovery efforts, the project's Culture and Wellbeing Manager Hemi Heta, a registered psychologist, has made several trips to Hawke’s Bay to speak with frontline staff both responding to the crisis and those whose own lives had been affected. Hemi was also involved in creating linkages between frontline staff and affected iwi. The project also loaned its tour van to Ngati Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua to assist the iwi in their efforts to help whānau impacted by the cyclone. Anyone wanting to donate to the NZ Disaster Relief Fund can do so by following this link: www.redcross.org.nz/support-us/our-current-appeals/new-zealand-disaster-fund/ |
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Pupils from Woodville School have been enjoying their new basketball hoops. Project supporting outcomes for local communitiesThe next Steven Adams could come from the Tararua District after the Te Ahu a Turanga team purchased and installed new basketball hoops for Woodville School. The Te Ahu a Turanga team bought two new AirTime hoops for the primary school, as part of the project’s social outcomes programme, which seeks to provide enduring community legacies for people and organisations in the rohe near the highway. Members of the construction, wellbeing and communications and engagement teams went to Woodville School in January to install the hoops. Woodville School Principal Wes Va’ai-Wells was hugely grateful for the project’s contribution, saying the hoops had been well received by pupils and the community alike. “The project’s support has been, and is still, very much appreciated,” he said. The project was also happy to support the Walk the Highway event, which was organised by the Woodville community. This event saw more than 1100 people walk through the project, raising more than $30,000 for the Woodville Lions and Woodville School. |
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Pūhoro STEMM interns Ryan Cutler and Sophie Marsden learn how to conduct soil and aggregate testing in Te Ahu a Turanga’s on-site lab. Partnership sees students gaining hands-on highway experienceFive Māori university students have gained first-hand experience on Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway thanks to a new partnership between the project and student support programme Pūhoro STEMM Academy. The students joined the project in November 2022, working alongside a variety of teams, including the wellbeing, environmental, kaitiaki, laboratory and landscaping teams before finishing their internship in February 2023. Te Ahu a Turanga Owner Interface Manager Grant Kauri says the interns received valuable experience in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and mātauranga Māori)-related career pathways, in which Māori make up just 2% of the workforce. “The construction sector in particular needs leaders who can incorporate Mātauranga Māori values into everything they do. By providing Māori students with the opportunity to gain hands on experience on a major project like this, we hope we can inspire them to pursue STEMM careers that will benefit the wider community for years to come,” Mr Kauri says. Saylem Napia, who studies zoology at Massey University, has been working with the project’s ecology team to relocate eels from waterways that have been impacted by construction. "It’s been great to get experience that’s relevant to my course of study. I think this will be good for my CV. “I feel I’m going to be really well prepared when I leave university with all the hands-on experience I’ve been getting.” For Sophie Marsden, who’s studying anthropology at Massey University, the internship helped her develop valuable people skills. “Whatever I end up doing, I’m sure it will involve working with people. On this project I’ve had such a varied range of experience with a bunch of different teams, which is helping me get better at forming connections.” More information about Pūhoro STEMM can be found at www.puhoro.org.nz. |
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Come out and see usAnyone interested in learning more about the project is welcome to come to our visitor centre on 1600 Napier Road, near Ashhurst, between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Public Holidays). The centre has a Drive the Highway simulator, flyover, newsletters and posters available, and the friendly project team are always happy to answer questions. If you're planning to bring a larger group out (more than 10 people), please call or email ahead using the contact details below so we can ensure we can accommodate you comfortably. Simulators and information are also available at the Woodville and Ashhurst Community libraries, and we also suggest visiting the Te Āpiti - Manawatū Gorge walking track carpark for a great view of the Parahaki Bridge, Eco-Viaduct Bridge and earthworks sites. The Te Ahu a Turanga team will also be out at the CD Field Days at Manfeild in Feilding in March. If you're planning to attend the event, please please pop over to see us as we'd love to have a chat.
Jonathon Howe |
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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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