This month at Te Ara Tupua

Change is the key word for the project this month. Not only the change in season and the upcoming Daylight Savings bringing lighter mornings but big changes to the site as well.

With the placing of the final XBloc® and completion of the culverts in early September, focus is now switching to finishing works such as kerb preparation, fencing, landscaping and not least, the most visible change to the project, the bridge.

See this month's project highlights in more detail below.

Ngā Ūranga Bridge Update

Work has been full steam ahead since the delivery of the first approach section. The seaward side section of prefabricated steelwork will be erected from Monday 01 September.

This area of the site will be very busy in the coming months and to make sure it is safe, it will be closed off to everyone but the bridge team. The rail crossing that we have had in place will be closed and from the start of September all access to the site will be from the north via Honiana Te Puni Reserve.

Seawall works

The last XBloc® will soon be placed around the culverts, marking a significant step in seawall protection. The final precast bird screen has been installed on Seawall 1. Along the revetments, the shared path is really taking shape with landscaping underway in some ūranga and the kerbs being poured. There is now a real sense of how the final product will look.

Utilities

The Utilities team is making great progress with the ducting. It’s a less glamorous aspect of projects but essential and the team is doing an amazing job, often achieving almost double the daily planned installation targets.

Honiana Te Puni Reserve

Now that the original main site office has been disestablished from Honiana Te Puni Reserve, the landscaping is well underway. The foundations are complete for the final location of Tāwharau pods and the concrete pad for the canopy is in construction. The first pou whenua will be installed in September. The taonga will be covered until they are blessed during a ceremony led by iwi mana whenua that will acknowledge all taonga on the project in accordance with tikanga.

People Behind Te Ara Tupua

Meet Hana Puketapu (Te Āti Awa, Tūhoe, Ngāti Ruapani ki Waikaremoana), one of our Leading Hands at Te Ara Tupua. 

Despite entering the infrastructure industry only recently, Hana’s energetic and diligent approach to her work has propelled her into a leadership role. 

After just a year and a half, she is now helping to manage one of the most complex interchanges on the project – Ngā Ūranga. 

Her role demands precision: coordinating the movement of fragile materials and heavy machinery through a one-lane corridor, all while navigating the challenges of a live train network and the relentless southerly winds. 

Empowering her team, Hana notes, is the key contributor to their collective success. 

About us

The Ngā Ūranga ki Pito-One section of Te Ara Tupua is a project to provide better resilience to transport links between Wellington and Lower Hutt, with new walking and cycling choices.

It has been developed in partnership between NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika and Ngāti Toa Rangatira, alongside local councils.

It is being delivered by Te Ara Tupua Alliance, made up of Tonkin + Taylor, Downer NZ, and HEB Construction. 

More information

For more information on the Te Ara Tupua project, contact us at TeAraTupua@nzta.govt.nz

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