- Hon Chris Bishop
The Ngauraunga to Petone Shared Path (Te Ara Tupua) officially opens to the public tomorrow, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.
"For people in Wellington and Lower Hutt, the opening of this path has been a long-awaited milestone," Mr Bishop says.
"Construction on this path began in 2022, following site investigations, community engagement, design and consenting that took place from 2013."
"The Te Ara Tupua project protects State Highway 2 and the Hutt Valley rail network from the impacts of severe weather - while providing a safe, walking and cycling connection that will be well utilised for years to come.
"This new 4.5 kilometre-long, 5-metre-wide shared path is built on a foundation of extensive resilience works and coastal improvements. This includes 0.8 hectares of reclaimed land, 2.7 kilometres of sloping coastal defences, more than 6,000 interlocking concrete blocks, and six vertical seawalls to strengthen the shoreline.
"Parts of this coastline have been damaged by severe weather in the past, most recently in 2013 when land under the rail line was washed out. This resulted in millions of dollars in recovery work and days of travel disruption for commuters.
"The new shared path will prevent this from happening and has already demonstrated how it protects critical infrastructure in recent wet weather.
"The new coastal path also provides an important lifeline connection for emergency services, should the highway ever be blocked after an earthquake or heavy rain.
"Previously, there was no safe walking and cycling route between Wellington and Lower Hutt. The new shared path provides more ways for people to move around our region, with over 2,100 trips on bikes, 360 walking or running trips, and around 290 trips on e-scooters or similar devices on the path each weekday expected by 2032 compared to approximately 450 daily trips estimated before the project got underway.
"As this project comes to an end, I want to thank the public for their patience, and the contractors who've worked hard to get this project completed."
Notes to editor:
- NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi has worked on the project in partnership with an alliance that included Downer, HEB Construction, and Tonkin+Taylor. It has also worked in close partnership with mana whenua, whose connection to the land and waterways has helped shape both the design and construction of the route.
- The total cost to deliver the Ngauranga to Petone section of Te Ara Tupua is $348.7 million. This cost is split between the Crown ($80m), NZTA ($261.7m), Wellington City Council ($5m) and Greater Wellington Regional Council ($2m).
