19 December 2022

O Mahurangi Penlink Project Update

Kia ora koutou,

As the year draws to an end, we would like to thank everyone in the community who has engaged with our O Mahurangi Alliance team over the past six months as we work through the detailed design of this long-awaited transport project.

We are excited to be delivering a project that helps to support future growth in northern Auckland while providing improved connectivity and travel choices for those in Whangaparāoa and Stillwater.

Following our Hurihia te Whenua (sod-turning) ceremony last Saturday to mark the official start of construction, the team is looking forward to progressing some early works in the New Year (see below for more details).

We are working towards a mid-2023 start on the temporary staging for our bridge construction over the Wēiti River, and an October 2023 start for our main construction works. The O Mahurangi Penlink project is expected to be complete from late 2026.

Happy holidays from the O Mahurangi team. We hope you have a safe and Merry Christmas with your whānau and friends.

Iwi partners Ngāti Manuhiri, Transport Minister Michael Wood, MP Marja Lubeck, Albany Ward Councillor John Watson, Waka Kotahi board members and officials, and Penlink Now representatives turn the sod at the Hurihia te Whenua ceremony

Breaking ground at the Hurihia te Whenua

The O Mahurangi Penlink project is now a step closer with the Hurihia te Whenua (sod-turning) ceremony held at our Ara Wēiti Road site on 10 December to mark the official start of construction!

Vern Rosieur (Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trustee) led the ceremony on behalf of our iwi partners as Transport Minister Michael Wood, MP Marja Lubeck and Albany Ward councillor John Watson shared the honour of turning the first sods alongside representatives of the Penlink Now community group, and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency officials.

Guests also had the opportunity to try out our new driving simulator technology, which is being developed to provide a gamified driving experience of the future O Mahurangi Penlink route. The simulator will be a key feature of the project’s new mobile information hub when it is launched in early 2023.

Trying out the driving simulator at the Hurihia te Whenua

Construction start dates

While most of our project team will be taking a Christmas break between 23 December and 9 January, you may still see a few of our site staff out and about undertaking necessary inspections.

Early works are set to begin on 9 January. This will include clearing ground, establishing access tracks and site offices and constructing temporary erosion and sediment controls, service relocations and early earthworks.

Detailed construction notifications will go out to affected residents with more information.

Duck Creek Road area

To allow for the safe exit of construction traffic at a site entrance at 250 Duck Creek Road, long-term temporary traffic management will be in place from February with an on-demand traffic light system. Before the light system is installed, a manual stop / go arrangement will be used on some days as required. Traffic management will be in place during work hours only.

From January through to March, a variety of activities will occur in this area, including vegetation and tree clearance as well as site establishment. Geotechnical testing to investigate and confirm ground conditions will continue, with a helicopter delivering equipment to our work sites on a more regular basis.

East Coast Road

Service relocation works and vegetation clearance are expected to start on 10 January, requiring temporary traffic management.

Ara Wēiti Road

On Ara Wēiti Road, early works and earthworks have begun now to construct environmental controls, site establishment and prepare a site for a project office.

Whangaparāoa

At the Whangaparāoa end of the project, vegetation clearing works are scheduled to commence in March. Vegetation clearing is an important first step in the construction process, as it is necessary to remove any trees and other plants that may be in the way of the planned construction.

If you have any questions regarding construction, please call 0800 7365 465.

Workers on the seabed drilling barge

Geotechnical investigations inform bridge construction planning

If you were on the Wēiti River between September and November this year, chances are you would have seen our seabed drilling barge carrying out geotechnical investigations at the project’s future bridge site, just north of the Stillwater Boating Club.

We would like to thank neighbours for their patience and understanding with the noise and for maintaining a safe distance from the barge.

The investigative drilling operation collected ground samples from depths of between 25 and 60 metres. The samples confirm underlying ground conditions to help inform our bridge construction planning. Geotechnical testing will continue throughout the project.

Community members at an information session in Stanmore Bay

Meeting our neighbours and local communities

Since the O Mahurangi Alliance was established in July 2022 to deliver the O Mahurangi Penlink project, our team has met with hundreds of project neighbours and community members to talk through the development of the project’s detailed design before construction begins next year.

Three community information sessions and two business drop-in sessions were held in Stanmore Bay. These sessions provided a great opportunity to understand the project’s key design refinements, including the progression of the Whangaparāoa Road intersection design, and to meet and ask questions of our technical team and share feedback.

An information session was also held in Stillwater, with a focus on the revised design for the Wēiti River Crossing and providing information on the construction staging for the new Duck Creek Road intersection.

The project team has also talked to local boating, kayaking and rowing clubs, mooring and private jetty owners and a number of marine-related businesses to understand their use of the river and share information on the design and construction of the new bridge.

While progressing our detailed design and early construction planning, we have kept people – and particularly the safety of the community - at the heart of our decision-making.

We will continue to engage with you throughout the life of the project to keep you informed about progress, events, upcoming works and other project news. We also encourage you to contact us with any questions, issues or concerns you may have.

More information

For more information on the O Mahurangi – Penlink project, contact us at omahurangi@nzta.govt.nz or 0800 7365 465.

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/penlink