General FAQs
When will the Expressway open?
While we’re not yet in a position to confirm an opening date, based on current progress we’re confident that the road will be safely completed and open to traffic well ahead of the originally scheduled completion date of June 2017. As with any project of this size and complexity, an early completion doesn’t come without challenges, but we’re confident of meeting those and completing the project well ahead of schedule. Keep an eye on our Express Lane newsletter to keep in the loop about progress.
What’s happening at the Kāpiti Expressway?
Construction is well underway and on target for completion by mid-2017.
The expressway is not being built in one continuous line. Instead, many different activities are underway in different places along the route.
The best way to keep up to date with what’s happening and where is to sign up to our monthly Express Lane newsletter.
You can also visit our information centre at the Coastlands shopping centre in Paraparaumu.
Why do we need an expressway on the Kāpiti Coast?
State Highway 1 between MacKays Crossing and Peka Peka is the only route in Kāpiti for many local trips as well as for through-traffic heading to and from Wellington. It was never designed for such heavy use. As a result the road has a history of crashes, congestion and unreliable travel times.
State Highway 1 traffic will shift to the new expressway once it is completed. This will separate local traffic from vehicles heading to and through Kāpiti and make all trips safer, with more reliable journey times.
How does the project relate to other Wellington Northern Corridor projects?
The MacKays to Peka Peka Expressway is one of seven projects planned to upgrade the Wellington Northern Corridor between Wellington Airport and Levin. It is the first to start.
At its southern end, the new expressway will connect to Transmission Gully. In the north it will connect to the Peka Peka to Ōtaki section .
How was the route chosen?
Four route options were considered during the planning and consultation for the MacKays Crossing to Peka Peka section of the Wellington Northern Corridor.
An expressway that mostly followed the route protected by the Kāpiti District Council for a Western Link Road was preferred because it:
Had the least effects on local residents and properties
Avoided impacts on Waikanae and Paraparaumu town centres
It provided a completely new route, efficiently separating local and highway traffic and allowing the existing highway to be used as a local arterial road.
The Board of Inquiry Assessment of Environmental Effects covers this in more detail. It can be found here .
What’s in it for Kāpiti’s communities?
Kāpiti is one of New Zealand’s fastest growing areas. Its population is expected to grow by 65,000 in the next 20 years. The new expressway will support this growth by providing a safer and shorter route to and through Kāpiti for local residents, businesses and visitors.
With State Highway 1 traffic using the expressway, the town centres of Waikanae and Paraparaumu will become more people-friendly. A dedicated cycle facility along the length of the expressway will make cycling more attractive and safe. And 140 hectares of new native plantings and 9.5 hectares of new or restored wetlands will make the district more attractive for both people and nature.
Construction of the expressway is also boosting the local economy. The project offers job opportunities to local residents and procures locally whenever practicable.
Will traffic be able to use sections of the expressway as they are finished?
There is no plan to open sections of the expressway up for local use before it’s completed. However construction traffic will use the expressway to haul its own materials and equipment before it’s opened in an effort of keep heavy construction traffic off local roads.
Why are partial, not full, interchanges being built at Poplar Avenue and Peka Peka?
The decision to make Poplar Avenue and Peka Peka Road partial interchanges was made by the Board of Inquiry. In summary it was about the expressway operating as a regional rather than a local connection. The decision also recognised that the existing State Highway 1 will become safer and more reliable for local traffic once the expressway is open. Another consideration was around managing urban development.
The Board of Inquiry Assessment of Environmental Effects covers this in more detail. It can be found here .
How will the partial interchanges work for local traffic?
At Peka Peka
Local roads will work much the same as they do now. The main difference is that local traffic will be able to use the partial interchange to go to and from the north (Ōtaki, for example). Also, there is a new link road that crosses over the expressway to connect the existing highway and Peka Peka Road. Local traffic will also use this road to access the northbound on-ramp of the expressway.
To go to or from the south (Waikanae for example), they will use the existing highway. Except that, once the expressway has opened, the highway will be a local road.
At Poplar Avenue
The partial interchange at Poplar Avenue will have south facing ramps. Therefore local traffic will use it to go south on the expressway and to leave the expressway when coming north.
As at Peka Peka, the local road network will stay much the same.
To use the expressway to go north, local traffic will drive via the existing highway to the Kāpiti Road interchange in Paraparaumu.
How are pedestrians and cyclists catered for?
Cyclists will be able to ride on the shoulders of the expressway. Their access will be via the on and off ramps at the interchanges.
However the safer route, especially for less experienced cyclists, will be a 3-metre wide shared walking and cycling path that will run the length of the expressway. In the north and in Queen Elizabeth Park in the south, horse riding will be possible next to the path.
The path will connect to the existing local network of shared cycle and walk ways. Also, there will be two bridges across the expressway for cyclists and walkers – one at Poplar Avenue and one behind Makaraini Street in Paraparaumu.
What about the people directly affected by construction?
The project’s consent conditions, set by the Board of Inquiry in response to people’s concerns, laid down very clear guidelines for managing noise and other impacts of the work. The conditions also require the project to measure and report those impacts.
Some of the ways we minimise disruption for nearby residents are:
Using best practice ‘soft engineering’ such using the smallest and quietest machines capable of doing the job
Using water trucks to dampen down the dust during dry weather
Putting up temporary noise walls where we are working close to houses
Monitoring and managing traffic flows
Most important is ensuring that people affected by construction know what’s happening, what’s coming up next and who to contact if they have any issues or concerns. Ways the project does this include community meetings, emails, newsletters, information centre at the Coastlands Mall and getting out and about in the community.
If you have any concerns please get in touch with the project at any time on 0508 M2PP INFO (0508 627 746) or email info@m2pp.co.nz
How will expressway bridges stand up to a major earthquake?
Given that we have many fault lines in the Wellington regionwhich allhave the potential to produce large earthquakes, this is a very good question. The 18 bridges on the expressway will be among the strongest transport structures in the country. All have been designed to withstand the combined effects of large (one in 2500 years) earthquakes and liquefaction. Many learnings from Christchurch have been considered, as well as international seismic design standards.
Much of the evidence of the ground breaking innovation used is underground. As an example, the project has gone to great lengths to improve the ground at the bridges to stop liquefaction around the bridge foundations. At the Waikanae River for example the piles of the new bridge are 3m in diameter and up to 40m deep.
For more information you might like to check out these clips on our YouTube channel that show the team explaining what they’ve been doing:
Bridges
Foundations
What's been causing vibration at the Wharemauku Stream near Raumati over the past couple of weeks?
From Monday 15 June for around two weeks we’ll be carrying out dynamic compaction at our site near the Wharemauku Stream. Dynamic compaction is a form of ground improvement that involves dropping a heavy weight onto the ground from a height. Energy from the weight hitting the surface causes the ground underneath to become more tightly packed. It's used to strengthen ground that's soft and sandy and therefore prone to liquefaction in an earthquake – exactly the ground conditions in this location.
You might hear a thud as the weight hits the ground and the ground may also shudder. This noise and vibration will be intermittent, but constant throughout the two weeks and are within the daytime limits permitted by our consent conditions.
What happens to the current State Highway 1 after the expressway opens?
When the NZ Transport Agency builds new roads, the roads they being replaced are often no longer required as State Highways. The Agency gives the roads back to a local roading authority – typically the district council. This handover process is called “revocation”.
Where can I ask a question or give feedback to the project?
Again the best way is to use the project’s M2PP INFO number (0508 627 746) or email info@m2pp.co.nz
SH1 Otaihanga Roundabout
Otaihanga Roundabout Human Factors Review
This report [PDF, 2.9 MB] outlines the findings of a human factors review into truck rollover crashes that have occurred at the SH 1/Otaihanga Roundabout. The roundabout is located 3.3km north of Paraparumu on SH1.
A brief history
Speed limits through roundabouts and at many other intersections in New Zealand have the rural speed limit of 100km/h. Roundabouts are designed so that, particularly in higher speed areas, the approaches alert drivers that they are approaching intersection and encourage them to slow to a suitable speed. Of the trucks that have rolled over traveling north through the intersection we are not aware that any have been traveling faster than 50km/h. In this respect a lower speed limit is unlikely to have had any impact on the speed of the trucks through the roundabout.
Why not install speed warning signs for trucks?
Each truck and trailer has a different dimension and weight distribution. This determines the speed at which it can safely travel through the roundabout. This speed can change for the same truck depending on the type of load it has and how high that load is.
Why not change the slope of the roundabout to fall towards the centre?
The friction between tyres and the road surface is predominantly designed to keep vehicles on the road. Although this friction is affected by the camber of the road, this effect is greatly reduced at speeds of 60km/h and below. Changing the camber to fall inwards would only affect the speed at which you can drive around the roundabout by a few kilometres an hour. This would not be enough to affect vehicle stability, however it may influence the level of comfort drivers feel when circulating and therefore encourage them to reduce their speeds slightly.
At the moment all vehicles using the roundabout experience the same slope through the intersection. If the roundabout sloped inwards as a truck entered the roundabout the truck unit itself would be sloping one way while the trailer sloped the other; the opposite would then happen as the truck exited the roundabout. This ‘twist’ between the driver’s experience and the trailer unit is undesirable and can also lead to instability.
Why not make it a one lane roundabout?
The roundabout has been constructed in order to improve the safety of the intersection with the increase in construction traffic for the MacKays to Peka Peka expressway. Currently the traffic flows on the highway are too high for the roundabout to work as a single lane. Once the expressway is open we will re-assess the traffic flows and work with KCDC to determine what the best layout is for the change in environment and its future use.
The roundabout tightens at the northbound exit
The roundabout has the same radius all the way around. For the majority of roundabouts the ‘straight through’ path is literally straight ahead. In the case of Otaihanga the exit is further round to the right than drivers anticipate and is more akin to a right turn. This may be contributing to the feeling that the radius is tightening.
Are there any similar roundabouts on the state highway?
There are many roundabouts on the state highway network of a similar size and therefore with similar radius curves to this one. However, every roundabout has a unique context and the relationship with the adjacent roads has a key influence on the look and feel of the intersection and the way in which it is driven. One of the key influences on the design of this particular intersection was the tight radius curve on the old SH1 into which this roundabout was inserted.
Nobody else builds roundabouts with the road falling outwards
Outward sloping roundabouts are designed and built all over the world. Although they may create a less comfortable feeling for drivers, this has the positive safety effect of encouraging them to reduce their speed. The main reasons for sloping the circulating carriageway outwards are:
- It simplifies the drainage of the roundabout and improves the efficiency with which water is removed from the road surface
- It simplifies the shape of the road surface, making construction more reliable
- It raises the central island, making the intersection more obvious to approaching drivers
- It concentrates drivers’ visibility on the road and immediate surrounds
Why not increase the signing on the approach to the intersection?
We have looked at the signage on each approach and there are four individual signs on the approach to the roundabout from the south to alert drivers that there is a roundabout ahead and that they need to prepare to give way. There are also pavement markings indicating that there is an intersection ahead. We are not aware of any crashes at the intersection that have involved drivers using the intersection for the first time. This implies that they would all have been aware of the intersection in time for them to adjust their speed. There is also a risk that adding more signage could distract drivers further from the task of driving. Extensive research shows that the great majority of the motoring public don’t notice signage, or if they do, they don’t remember what it said after they have passed it.
Why are there so many curves on the exit of the roundabout?
The roundabout is designed to encourage drivers to slow down as they approach the intersection. This means that will be in control as they go through the intersection and can then increase their speed when they reach their exit. The SH1 exit heading north provides this opportunity, however, due to physical construction constraints, the northbound exit is further to the right than drivers may expect.
How many trucks use the roundabout?
Our traffic counts show about 23,000 vehicles a day go through the roundabout and about 9%, or 2070 of these are trucks. This means just over 1000 trucks go through the roundabout heading north every day. This represents around a million truck movements (in both directions) since the roundabout opened at Easter 2014.
It’s only a matter of time until there is a serious crash
Roundabouts are widely used at locations where there are crash problems. Roundabouts do require people to drive at lower speeds, and they also reduce the angle at which vehicles can collide. These two factors result in a significantly reduced chance of a serious crash happening compared with a standard “T” intersection or intersections with traffic lights. The installation of this roundabout has already dramatically reduced the previous high crash risk when it operated as a T intersection. World-wide, roundabouts are proven to be the safest form of at-grade intersection.
People don’t give way
The road rules require all road users to give way to vehicles already using the roundabout and therefore check that the roundabout is clear before entering. However we know that drivers do make mistakes and, as mentioned above, one of the key benefits of roundabouts is that the result of these mistakes is far less likely to be serious crashes. They are much safer in this respect than other forms of at-grade intersection.
People drive over the markings on the north side of the roundabout
When the roundabout first opened, residents on the side road that comes off the roundabout had difficulty accessing their property as southbound drivers on SH1 thought they were turning to go south on SH1. We worked with the Mackays to Peka Peka Alliance design team and our Road Safety Audit team to come up with the best way to address this concern. The markings, known as “turbo markings”, are used to direct drivers into the left hand lane, and make the intended actions of those drivers accessing the side road for property access more apparent to southbound motorists.
What is the Transport Agency going to do?
We are looking to add signs to the outside of the roundabout to help show drivers that the exit is further around than they may have anticipated. We will also look at what other measures we can implement to make the curve of the roundabout more obvious for drivers.
SH1 Revocation
About the expressway
The Mackays to Peka Peka Expressway is a key part of the 110km Wellington Northern Corridor – one of the Government’s seven Roads of National Significance (RoNS).
The Expressway, which runs between Mackays Crossing and Peka Peka, is currently under construction and scheduled for completion in mid-2017 or earlier if construction continues at pace. Once complete, it will separate local and highway traffic, resulting in reduced congestion on local roads, shorter and more reliable travel times, and a safer and more resilient road network.
Once the Expressway opens, the stretch of existing SH1 between Poplar Avenue in Raumati South and Te Kowhai Road in Peka Peka will no longer be required to operate as a state highway.
The NZ Transport Agency has 24 months from the opening of the Expressway to remove the state highway classification from SH1 between Poplar Avenue and Te Kowhai Road and hand the road to the Kāpiti Coast District Council. This is a formal process, known as “revocation”.
The NZ Transport Agency and the Kāpiti Coast District Council are working in partnership to design and deliver a fit-for-purpose local road that improves the district’s resilience and enhances connectivity through and across the district.
In particular, the Project seeks to improve accessibility through the Paraparaumu and Waikanae town centres, improve connections to and from rail and bus hubs, and enhance cycling and walking options between Poplar Avenue and Peka Peka.
The Project will consider a variety of factors including quality of the road, kerbs, shared paths, cycle lanes, planting and urban design, speed limits, and renaming of the road.
Although the road will largely operate as a local arterial road, it will still have to function as an emergency bypass route between Poplar Avenue and Peka Peka in the event of an incident on the Expressway. This will be a key factor in the design of any improvements.
It is important that the new local road works well for the community it serves. We’ve been engaging with the Kāpiti Coast community since 2011 when we undertook initial consultation on the future of the existing SH1, including two expos.
Now that the Expressway construction is almost complete, we will provide further opportunities to inform the community about how the road will operate in August this year and seek feedback to help inform final design details.
What does revocation mean?
When the NZ Transport Agency (the Agency) builds new roads, the roads they replace are often no longer required as State Highways. The Transport Agency gives the roads back to a local roading authority – typically the district council. This handover process is called “revocation”.
Revocation is a formal process involving consultation with the Transport Minister and publication of a notice in the New Zealand Gazette. It involves “revoking” (or “removing”) a road’s status as a State Highway and transferring responsibility for its maintenance from the Transport Agency to the district council (in this case, Kāpiti Coast District Council).
In practice, before the State Highway status of a road can be “revoked”, the Agency has to ensure that the road is fit-for-purpose under its new status as a local road. This can include removing lanes or passing lanes, changing speed limits, removing restrictions on access, improving intersections, and adding provisions for pedestrians and cyclists. The district council may wish to input funding to allow improvements above that provided by the Agency or to improve “streetscaping” – things like landscape planting, seats, footpath paving, and artwork.
It is expected that the MacKays to Peka Peka Expressway is scheduled for completion by mid-2017 or earlier if construction continues at pace. The Agency has two years from opening to complete the revocation process. Between now and late 2018, the Agency, in partnership with the Kāpiti Coast District Council, will work on design concepts, seek public feedback, and undertake any construction or maintenance works required to turn State Highway 1 between Poplar Avenue and Te Kowhai Road in to a local road that can be handed back to the Kāpiti Coast District Council.
Working together
Click hereClick here to visit the Kāpiti Coast District Council’s website, and learn more about the revocation process from the Council’s perspective.