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SH2 Melling Transport Improvements and Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa KairangiCommunity update |
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28 August 2026 |
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This programme update provides information on the NZ Transport Agency's SH2 Melling Transport Improvements project, Greater Wellington's flood protection work, and Hutt City Council's urban revitalisation, delivered in partnership with mana whenua Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika and Ngāti Toa Rangatira, all part of Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi. Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi means 'the soothing waters of Hutt River'. Gifted by Kura Moeahu, Te Āti Awa Rangatira, it reflects the shared responsibility to care for Te Awa Kairangi for present and future generations. The programme was formerly known as RiverLink. In this issue:
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Upcoming works on SH2 southboundWe will be carrying out work on State Highway 2 southbound from September 2026. Planned works From Sunday 6 to Thursday 10 September, between 9pm and 4am, we have planned works on the highway. This includes locating underground services, cleaning stormwater catch pits, and the removal of a steel safety barrier on Melling Link Bridge. A full southbound road closure from Kennedy Good Bridge to Melling Link Bridge is required. Southbound drivers heading towards Wellington will need to follow local road detours through Lower Hutt. Relocation of underground services Over the coming weeks, we'll be relocating underground services, which are currently located along the southbound shoulder of the highway. This work will happen over a total of 15 nights across the following dates:
Work will be undertaken in stages starting behind 69 Pharazyn Street, moving 180 metres north towards the Melling intersection. The noisiest work is expected to be on the first night (Sunday 13 September) from 8pm to midnight. We will also be removing two streetlights on the highway during this time. The southbound lanes will be reduced to one lane each night from 7pm to 5am between Melling Link Bridge and the Normandale Road overbridge. The shoulder will be swept after each shift. We appreciate there are a lot of activities taking place in the next month particularly and your patience is appreciated. These works will involve the use of some larger machinery, with the noisiest works expected to be completed before midnight. We’ll be monitoring our activities to ensure we comply with all relevant conditions and minimise disruption wherever possible. Dates are subject to the weather and may change at short notice. |
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Queens Drive/High Street intersection upgrade on track, Rutherford Street upcoming worksQueens Drive/High Street update The work site at the High Street/Queens Drive intersection is a busy place to be right now – you will see pipes, machines, and various crews working hard to complete utility and service upgrades in a space about the size of half a football field. Since starting work in March this year, we've been largely focused on upgrading utilities and services. As part of this, we had to navigate existing pipes and cables to install new ones. We have also set up utilities to carry power to the new traffic lights and street lights once installed. Work is progressing well and over the coming months, the area will start looking more like a road as contractors move on to kerbs and footpaths, asphalt, lighting, and line marking. We are on track to complete these upgrades this December. Rutherford Street/Queens Drive update We are also preparing for the closure of the intersection of Rutherford Street and Queens Drive, which will also be upgraded to an intersection with traffic lights as well. This area will need a bit more work as they have to raise ground levels up to meet the angle of the new bridge. The closure is expected to be in place from January 2027 for approximately two years. Access for all businesses will remain in place and more information will be shared closer to the time. You’ll read and see more information about this closure over the next few months. |
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Work starting inside the old rail corridorCrews are working in the rail corridor between Melling intersection and Normandale Bridge, removing historic contaminated materials before main construction works begin in September. Over the next two years, we’ll be installing drainage and building a series of retaining walls before we reinstate the rail line which will connect to the new Melling Station, and build a new shared walking and cycling path. This work will require heavy machinery working right up against the existing SH2 barriers. It’s for this reason the lower speed limit and slightly realigned traffic lanes have been put in place on SH2. We appreciate the reduced speed limit has been in place for several weeks, however the discovery and subsequent safe removal of contaminated materials has delayed the main works starting. Upcoming work From 7 Sept 2026 through to March 2027, we will be constructing a haul road and installing more than 100 bored piles in the rail corridor - between the Normandale Bridge and 69 Pharazyn Street. The haul road provides access for crews, while the piles will create the foundation for future retaining walls. During this time, the 50kmh speed limit for southbound traffic on SH2 will remain in place. Northbound traffic will not be affected. This work will involve the use of some larger machinery, and some noise and vibration is expected. We’ll be monitoring our activities to ensure we comply with all relevant conditions and minimise disruption wherever possible. Hours of work are 7.30am to 6pm. |
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Melling Link Bridge lane change trialWe have been trialling a temporary lane change on Melling Link Bridge to help reduce congestion for people travelling north from Lower Hutt city centre onto State Highway 2. The layout on Melling Link Bridge changed in July, allowing people to use both lanes on the bridge to head north, while keeping the option to use the left lane to travel south towards Wellington. We're heading into week 6 of the 8 week trial and are seeing reduced delays and shorter queues – the most significant benefits are in the afternoon, with average travel times improving by around 3 minutes from Rutherford Street to Melling and by more than one minute from Cornwall and Pretoria Streets to Melling. Morning peak travel times have also remained stable overall. At the end of this trial the traffic flows, queue lengths, safety, and feedback from people using the area will be reviewed with Hutt City Council. If it is all looking good, the new layout will stay in place. |
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Inside Melling’s massive stormwater treatment systemSo far this year, ~1,045mm of rainfall has been recorded in Lower Hutt, that’s 17.5% more than the average rainfall for the same timeframe in previous years. More rainfall means more stormwater runoff. Stormwater is water that runs off impermeable surfaces such as roads, driveways, footpaths and rooftops; it then enters a stormwater network before being discharged into the river and ultimately the harbour. To minimise pollutants impacting the environment, a stormwater treatment system servicing a 9.2 hectare impermeable area (equivalent of nine rugby fields) has been designed as part of the SH2 Melling Transport Improvements project. Firstly, the stormwater enters “gross pollutant traps”, where larger solids (e.g. litter, leaves) are captured. These devices help reduce pollutant loads and the maintenance frequency of the second stage, the filtration systems. In total, in the western zone, we’ll install five Stormwater360 StormFilter treatment systems for the 8.2hectare catchment area. Two treatment systems have already been installed, weighing an impressive 21 and 30 tonnes respectively. Stormwater enters these precast concrete structures through the inlet pipe before passing through rechargeable filtration cartridges which clean the stormwater, before discharging clean filtered water out. The filtration cartridges trap pollutants and absorb particulates such as sediments, oil and grease, metals, hydrocarbons and nutrients. The intention is that 75% of total suspended solids (TSS) are removed by this process (this is a standard stormwater quality benchmark) before the treated water enters the river. Check out the video/photos and captions on the programme Facebook page. |
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Hidden flood protection heroes beneath our worksiteWe are currently installing eight stormwater outlet pipes ranging from 800mm to 1800mm diameter that enable water to flow into Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt River. Three of these outlet pipes will penetrate through the stopbank, meaning to mitigate flood risk, the stormwater needs to go through backflow flood prevention devices, called a penstock. Penstocks can be used to control the flow of stormwater into the river, and have an automatic valve that will close when the river is in flood, thus stopping a backflow of water from the river towards SH2 and Lower Hutt CBD. |
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Turning willows into flood protectionTree felling along parts of Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt River near Pharazyn Street is part of a wider effort to improve flood resilience by working with nature through bioengineering. This year, our crews will remove around 16,000 square metres of mature willow trees from selected areas of the river corridor, roughly the size of two rugby fields. In some locations, clearing these trees is also creating space for projects within the wider Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi programme, including work associated with the City Link Bridge project. Rather than becoming waste, the trees will be transported whole to sites on either side of the river at Belmont and reused to create around 450 metres of bioengineered river edge protection. This work is part of our broader flood resilience programme and long-term approach to giving the river more room to move. Allowing the river to adjust naturally within its corridor helps manage erosion, reduce flood risk, and support river health. Bioengineering uses living and natural materials to stabilise riverbanks, reduce erosion, and improve habitat. Developed with input from mana whenua partners, the approach helps restore the river's natural character while strengthening its edges over time. The work is an important step in preparing the river corridor for future flood protection measures. As weather patterns become increasingly unpredictable, combining traditional engineering with nature-based solutions helps build flood resilience while making practical use of existing river resources. |
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Temporary rockline gives support to vital infrastructureFurther south along Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt River, we've started preparatory work for a temporary rockline near Marsden Street. The temporary structure will help protect critical infrastructure nearby, including the western hills sewer main, which carries most of Upper Hutt’s wastewater and is in the process of being refurbished and relocated. While the upgrade is strengthening the pipe, it still relies on stable surrounding ground. As the riverbank is reshaped, erosion could expose or undermine it. The temporary rockline reduces this risk by armouring the river’s edge and protecting the ground above the pipeline. Using temporary rocklines is standard practice on large river projects like this. Because work happens in stages, parts of the river edge can be more exposed than usual. At Marsden Street, the rockline may be adjusted, removed, or incorporated into the final design as the project progresses. Together, these projects reflect the range of tools being used to strengthen flood resilience along Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt River. Managing flood risk is about understanding how the river naturally moves and working with those processes, protecting people, infrastructure and the environment. It is how we're helping reinvigorate the mouri (life force) of Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt River while strengthening flood resilience and giving the river more room to move. |
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How do you get your traffic updates?Lower Hutt is going through one of the most significant periods of change in its history. With so much going on, there are ongoing changes to how you experience the city and how you get around. We want to make it easier for you to plan your journeys and get the travel information you need while work as part of Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi and other major projects are underway. Take the short survey to help us understand how you travel and where you look for travel information. The survey is open until Sunday 30 August 2026. |
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New traffic cameras – check before you hit the road!To help us monitor the transport network, we have installed new traffic cameras at key intersections across the city. Similar to the regional NZTA traffic cameras you can view these live camera streams online to help plan your travel. View the cameras on the Hutt City Council website. |
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Have you seen what’s popping up in the city centre?Some vacant spaces are being put to temporary use in the city centre, giving people new reasons to stop and explore. A new miniature art exhibition has opened at 170 High Street, showcasing works by local artists and offering something fresh to discover in the central city. Visit Wednesday to Saturday, 10am–4pm, until 6 September. The exhibition is part of Pop Up Hutt, which brings creative ideas and activities into vacant city-centre spaces. Find out more about this event, or express your interest in using or providing a space, at huttvalleynz.com/pop-up-hutt. |
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People of the project: BayleyMeet Bayley – a senior surveyor and certified drone pilot at Fletcher Construction, who is part of the alliance team delivering the State Highway 2 Melling Transport Improvements. Bayley's role supports the accurate delivery of key infrastructure across the project. Surveying ensures that bridges, drainage, utilities, pavements and ground improvements are built in the correct location and at the right elevation. She captures thousands of images to build a detailed three-dimensional model of the site, allowing the team to track construction progress with a high level of precision, often down to the millimetre, and support compliance with design/delivery requirements. Bayley has been with Fletcher Construction for around seven and a half years, starting through the graduate programme. She has contributed to several major projects across the North Island, including the State Highway 1 Piarere to Waiouru Accelerated Maintenance Project. She is proud of her work in roading and the role it plays in improving safety, and is passionate about encouraging more women into surveying and construction. Her contribution to the industry was recognised with the National Association of Women in Construction Rising Star award in 2023. Thank you, Bayley, for your dedication and expertise. When travelling through worksites, please slow down and follow all signs and instructions to help keep roadworkers safe. |
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More information |
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Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi includes the SH2 Melling Transport Improvements project, crucial flood protection and river restoration work, and city centre infrastructure upgrades. It is a partnership between Greater Wellington, Hutt City Council, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. You can find out more about current work that's underway here. Otherwise for more information on the projects that make up this transformational programme of work, please:
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