Progress

Project progress – to end September 2009

The end of the D2P project is in sight and the team is working hard to complete all the remaining works on State Highway 2 by the end of November. This is considerably ahead of the original target completion date of early 2010! Some Wellington spring weather has slowed progress over the last few weeks, however, the longer days and periods of night work have helped keep progress on track.

Work to clad the soldier pile wall which supports Pito-One Road was completed in September. This was a particularly challenging part of the project, constrained by the Korokoro Cemetery on one side and the railway line on the other. Building the new retaining wall and road safely, while maintaining traffic flows was one of the most logistically difficult aspects of the project. Some careful forward planning has meant that this section of work was completed with minimal disruption to road users and ahead of schedule. Completing this area of work has led to the second northbound lane of SH2 being diverted onto its permanent new alignment under Korokoro Bridge. This in turn has allowed works to progress at the intersection of Korokoro, London and Pito-One Roads where the highway has to be raised by up to 3m.

Work on Pito-One Road has progressed well and the businesses in Parkhead Court are now using this service lane to access their premises, rather than SH2. To the north, construction of a small retaining wall to support the new road is nearly finished which means the temporary concrete barriers in that area can be removed.

The team has also been busy taking the last "bump" out of the road just south of the new Dowse Interchange. Again, working in a very narrow corridor, the old road has been lowered, by up to 1.5m, a lane at a time where it used to rise up over the old Percy’s culvert. A new culvert was constructed earlier in the project allowing the road to be lowered achieving a safer alignment with better visibility. This has also allowed work at the southern Dowse Interchange ramps to be advanced and the final layout is now taking shape.

The new carpark at Percy's Scenic Reserve is almost finished. The Custodian's house has been relocated to its new position and we are now put the finishing touches to the new garage and landscaping. With a small amount of asphalt to complete in the car park, and landscaping work underway this great new asset will soon be available for all to use.

The team will return to the area under the Dowse Bridge in the next couple of weeks to do some more work on the kerbs. There is also a change in design outside the front of the Marae, so we will return to that area for a few weeks as well.

The majority of the deep-lift asphalt – the asphalt that forms most of the state highway – is almost complete. This is a tremendous feat given that the work had to be staged to keep two lanes on SH2 open. Construction of the remaining section of concrete median barrier began in early October; once this 700m section is complete, the final asphalt surface will be laid over the entire section of the state highway.

All in all, as the D2P team co-ordinates the finishing touches, the Dowse to Petone Upgrade project will soon complete its transformation.

Project progress – July 2009

These past few months have seen the full blast of winter weather, and although this has proved to be challenging for the D2P team, it has not hindered their continued excellent progress.

In fact, if work continues at the present rate, it is likely the project will be completed ahead of programme. Originally the target was for completion in early 2010 but now we are aiming to complete works by the end of the year!

As part of this progress, traffic switches onto the new SH2 northbound alignment from Cornish Street to the pedestrian overbridge were made ahead of schedule, as was the opening of McKenzie Avenue bridge which provides access to the Petone Park ‘n’ Ride carpark.

During the past month the team have been working on the very narrow section of the site, sandwiched between Korokoro Cemetery and the railway, constructing the retaining wall which will support the new service road – Pito-One Road.

This retaining wall is taking shape, with the concrete piles now exposed and clearly visible. Timber boards are being installed behind these piles to form a solid barrier before backfilling can begin. This work is progressing well and will be complete when panels similar to those under the Korokoro overbridge are fixed to the front of the concrete piles. 

With traffic now diverted off the service road (used as temporary SH2 northbound for the past year) we are working towards its completion as it will then provide access to the Korokoro industrial area.

Work on Hutt Road is now substantially complete but please note there are still some final items of work under the Dowse Interchange bridge structure and outside Te Tatau O Te Po Marae on Hutt Road.

Dowse Interchange is operating well. We have recently installed a ‘wabo’ strip on the ramp to Hutt Road. This is a rubber expansion joint between the fixed structures of the bridge and the MSE wall which allows the structure to flex in the event of an earthquake.

Work on the southern on and off ramps at the interchange is progressing ahead of programme. A section of the northbound on ramp has now been completed and traffic diverted onto its new alignment. This has allowed the temporary ramp through the new Percy Reserve carpark to be removed.

On site it is possible to see the height difference between the new southbound ramp and the existing road and we have a difficult section of work to complete in this area during the next few months. This involves lowering SH2, and the interchange ramps, by approximately 1m to remove the “hump” in the road where it passed over the original Percy’s culvert. A new culvert was installed earlier in the project, and the road can now be lowered and straightened to provide a much improved road alignment.  
 
Although we do still have a significant amount of work to carry out over the next few months, it is rewarding to note that despite difficult conditions many areas of landscaping are already complete and the project’s final road layout has almost been reached.  

 

Project Progress - May 2009

Since our last update the D2P team have been forging ahead making excellent progress throughout the project despite the recent wet weather.

Traffic has been running along the permanent southbound alignment under the Korokoro overbridge all the way to the MacKenzie Avenue bridge for some months now and June will see one more traffic switch in this area when the SH2 northbound lanes move onto their new permanent route. However, to allow final construction of the Korokoro interchange, the lanes will split just before the existing intersection, with the right-hand lane continuing on the new road and the left-hand northbound lane shifting back to its current position. The current free left-hand turn at Korokoro will also remain during this last phase before the final design is reached later this year.

The new, permanent entrance to the Park ‘n’ Ride car park off SH2 southbound is already in use but we have been working hard towards opening one lane on the McKenzie Avenue bridge earlier than originally planned. This will happen at the same time as the SH2 northbound lanes shift and will allow the new, permanent exit from the Petone Station Park ‘n’ Ride carpark to also come into use.

Work on Hutt Road continued throughout May and should finish next month. The main focus in this area was on paving, of both the road and the new car park, and this is now complete.  The new pedestrian crossings and driveways have been installed, as has the handrail on the footpath near the roundabout, and the new staircase from the Interchange to Hutt Road will open in June. Now there are just a few small items to finish off and with a bit of general tidying up our work here will be done!

The new entrance to Percy Scenic Reserve is starting to take shape, with the road close to completion.  The next big milestone in this area is to move the Caretaker’s house to its new location at the bottom of Dowse Drive.  This will allow the team to complete the turning circle at the end of the road.

Finally, there is still work to be finished near Dowse Interchange. Earlier on in the project we created a new culvert to divert a stream from Percy Scenic Reserve. The existing highway still runs over the top of the old culvert and so we will be digging this out and lowering the road by about one metre in this area.  Work can then continue on the on and off ramps so that they can be set on their new alignments and the final tie-ins, where they join the new highway, can be completed.

Overall, despite a tough start to winter, the project is still definitely ‘on programme’, and once again we would like to thank everyone for their continued patience in adapting to all the construction work and traffic management arrangements.

Project Progress - April 2009

The month of April was very busy on the Dowse to Petone Project.  The construction team are really pleased to have opened the new Korokoro overbridge a couple of weeks ahead of schedule, meaning that there is less disruption to local motorists and the team are able to progress to working in other areas sooner than planned.  So, the project is still definitely ‘on programme.’

Minor work at Dowse Interchange continued throughout April, with most work occurring during daytime lane closures.  The staircase which allows pedestrians to short cut from Dowse Interchange to Hutt Road is now almost complete and just waiting for the hand rails before it can be opened.  Further west, the Dowse Drive connection is nearly finished, and contractors will be back in the area in mid-May to complete the final surfacing.   

The new entrance to Percy Scenic Reserve is now starting to take shape, with the road close to completion.  The next big milestone in that area is to move the Caretaker’s house to its new location at the bottom of Dowse Drive.  This will allow contractors to construct the turning circle at the end of the road.

Work on Hutt Road continued throughout April, and contractors now have less than one month of work still to go in the area.  The main focus this month was on paving, which is now complete.  There are a few more driveways to install, as well as the hand rail on the footpath near the roundabout, and then work will be almost complete.

At Korokoro, we now have traffic running along the permanent southbound alignment under the Korokoro overbridge all the way to the MacKenzie Avenue Bridge, as well as traffic now using the Korokoro overbridge itself for access between Korokoro and Hutt Road.  There is one more traffic switch in this area to go prior to the switch to the final design later in 2009, and more information will be provided about this closer to the time.

The new, permanent entrance to the Park ‘n’ Ride car park off SH2 southbound is now in use, and the layout of the car park has changed slightly to facilitate work in the area.  There is still a temporary exit onto SH2 southbound at the northern end of the car park, which will be in place until the MacKenzie Avenue Bridge opens later this year. 

 

Progress to end March 2009

A very productive December, January, and early February meant that we opened the Dowse Interchange part of the project to traffic in March.  We celebrated this achievement with an opportunity for the public to walkover the structure on Saturday 28 February.

The only part of Dowse Interchange that did not open in March was the staircase that allows pedestrians to shortcut directly from the bridge to the western side of Hutt Road.  This has now been lifted into place and should be open by the beginning of May.

As the Interchange structure is just about complete, the main focus in the area is on completing the Dowse West works, which include the tie-in to Dowse Drive and the Percy Scenic Reserve access road and car park.  The team are also finishing the road surfaces and working on the significant landscaping and gardening component in the area.  The drainage and water-main work on Hutt Road is complete and the team are now finishing off the traffic islands.  The final road surfacing will be done before the end of April. 
 
Further south, the new Korokoro overbridge has had concrete poured on every span and is currently being prepared for paving.  The Mechanically Stabilised Earth (MSE) walls on either side of the bridge are also both near completion.  The temporary closure of the Korokoro Bridge allows for construction of the new Korokoro intersection to continue, and we are currently on target to complete the work ahead of schedule, meaning the bridge is likely to open earlier than the original 12 week closure period allowed for.

Further south again, we have completed much of the new Park ‘n’ Ride commuter car park and vehicles will soon be using the permanent entrance off SH2.  The MSE wall on the rail side of the Mackenzie Avenue Bridge is now at full height, and the wall on the other side is nearly at its final height as well.  These walls form the ramp to enter and exit the Park ‘n’ Ride car park from Pito-One Road once construction is complete.

 

Progress to end February 2009

The focus for February was to have the Dowse Interchange ready for the Public Walkover on February 28, followed shortly by the opening of the Interchange to traffic early the following Monday morning.  Thanks to some incredibly concentrated work on the part of the construction team, despite some bad weather, both these goals were achieved which confirms that we are well and truly still ‘on programme’. 

February was spent finishing as much as possible of the Mechanically Stabilised Earth (MSE) walls and forging ahead with the permanent SH2 southbound alignment. 

The new McKenzie Avenue bridge, which eventually provides access to and from the Park ‘n’ Ride car park at Petone Railway Station, now actually goes somewhere, thanks to very fast progress with the MSE walls on the rail side.  February also saw the start of the foundation work for the MSE wall on the other side of SH2.  The car park itself is now operating well in its current (temporary) format and more changes will be seen closer to the time when the bridge is commissioned in mid 2009.      

Finally, February was a big month at Hutt Road.  The incredible patience of local businesses has been very much appreciated by the contractors as it has allowed the construction team to concentrate on that work.  By the end of February the roundabout was ready to be commissioned and the final alignment of the road itself was not far off being finished either. 
 
The major focus for the next three months is the Korokoro area so that as much work as possible can be achieved during the 12 weeks that the link between SH2 and the Hutt Road at Korokoro is closed.

 

Progress to end January 2009

Once again good weather continues to aid progress at D2P, and this can clearly be seen by those who drove through the area.  A very productive December, and January, means that we are on target to open the Dowse Interchange part of the project to traffic in March.  We will celebrate this achievement with an opportunity for the public to walk over the structure on Saturday 28 February.   

The construction team have been thrilled with the excellent progress made during the past two months.  The Mechanically Stabilised Earth (MSE) walls, which form the on- and off-ramps at the Dowse Interchange and Hutt Road, are starting to resemble roads now that they have barriers on them and some of them have already been paved. 

The only part of Dowse Interchange that will not be open in March is the staircase that allows pedestrians to shortcut directly from the bridge to the western side of Hutt Road.  This is due to open after Easter. 

Now that the structure is just about complete, the team are focusing on finishing the road surfaces. Motorists will also start to see signage appear on the ramps within the next week or so in preparation for opening the Dowse Interchange to traffic. 
 
Further south, the new Korokoro Bridge now has all its spans in place and sections of the bridge’s reinforced concrete structure above and between the spans have been built.  Part of the MSE wall on the western side of the bridge is also now at full height.  The next stage here is the temporary closure of the Korokoro bridge, which will allow construction of the lowered state highway to continue.  This will happen once the Dowse Interchange is open.

Looking further south again we have completed much of the new Park ‘n’ Ride commuter car park, and SH2 traffic is now running on the new permanent alignment alongside the Indoor Valley Sports Centre.  Regular users of the road will have noticed the MSE wall gaining height next to the Mackenzie Avenue Bridge.  This wall will form the ramp to enter and exit the Park ‘n’ Ride car park once construction is complete.   

Great progress is also being made at the new Hutt Road roundabout.  There have been a few subtle shifts of traffic around this area allowing the construction crew to carry out drainage and watermain work on Hutt Road. They then complete the job with a new road surface and footpath.  The D2P team would like to take this opportunity to thank local residents and business owners for their cooperation and patience for the duration of this work.

Progress in 2008
Progress in 2007

Refer to the latest construction photos
Refer to the latest media releases