Waka Kotahi has advised there will be two sets of works being undertaken in the next few days.
Sunday night (6 August 2023), a road repair will be done on SH59 near the corner of Wairaka Road. This was notified to the neighbours for Thursday but weather has pushed it out to Sunday – also weather permitting.
Monday night (7 August 2023) the watermain service lid at the intersection of SH59 and Gray Street will be lifted and given a concrete surround to make it level with the road. Service lid lifting is something that a team travels the highway network doing some time after road repairs and resurfacing jobs have been done. It can’t be done at the time of the works because of the extreme heat of the asphalt when it is laid.
Good news to all those who drive into Gray St from SH59. Waka Kotahi has advised that, subject to weather conditions,work will be carried out to fix the intersection, removing the somewhat bumpy surface and replacing it with a smoothe one.
The work will be undertaken on Sunday evening and will not take all night.
Waka Kotahi has apologised for the time it has taken to fix the intersection.
Waka Kotahi has advised that chipsealingState Highway 59 between Pukerua Bay and Plimmerton will be starting Sunday night 11 December
These works are programmed for next week while the Pukerua Bay slip stabilisation works are being done and traffic volumes are expected to be lower through this stretch of highway. However you may want to factor in additional time when travelling South.
They have asked that cyclists and pedestrians use the shared path during the works for their safety.
Schedule:
Chipsealing will be done during the day, each day between 7am – 5.30pm.
Traffic management set-up will start Sunday night, 11 December at 7pm through the night. Traffic set-ups/change-overs will be at night throughout the week, for an early start the next morning.
Monday 12 December
The Northbound state highway will be closed from 4.30am from the Plimmerton weigh station to the merge south of Pukerua Bay.
Traffic will be directed to the southbound side of the highway with one lane each direction.
There will be stop/go traffic control at the Airlie Road intersection for access.
Tuesday 13 December
The Northbound state highway will be closed from 4.30am from the Plimmerton weigh station to the merge south of Pukerua Bay.
Traffic will be directed to the southbound side of the highway with one lane each direction.
There will be stop/go traffic control at the Airlie Road intersection for access.
Wednesday 14 December
The Southbound state highway will be closed from 4.30am from Airlie Road to north of Plimmerton roundabout
Traffic will be directed to the northbound side of the highway with one lane each direction.
There will be stop/go traffic control at the Airlie Road intersection for access.
Sweeping and line marking will be done between Tuesday and Friday.
A restricted speed limit will be in place up to 3 days and nights following the works to settle the seal.
Heavy vehicles and wide loads please use alternative routes due to the extent of these closures and the works.
Cyclists and pedestrians please use the shared path during the works.
The entrance to Gray Street from SH59 is on the PCC books for remediation over summer. As anyone driving over it will know the rate of deterioration seems to be increasing. Remediation works, digging out and are dependant on the ground under the new material being dry enough to be consolidated and ready to be asphalted. The road has been marked out for some time in preparation for the works.
Pukerua Bay shared pathway – Stage Two improvements planned
Work to continue improving the shared pathway intersection connections through Pukerua Bay is due to start on Friday 25 November 2022 .
This work is Stage Two of a project that began last year.
The first part of this project will involve upgrades to the intersections at Pukerua Beach Rd, Haunui Rd, and SH59.
Proposed works
In late 2022 – improvements to the intersections of Pukerua Beach Road and SH59, and Haunui Road and Pukerua Beach Road, to make them safer for pedestrians, cyclists and turning vehicles. This work will include narrowing both intersections by building out the kerbs, new road markings, dropped kerbs and improved pathway connections to improve access for pathway users.
In early 2023 – improvements to the intersection of Wairaka Road and SH59 to make it safer for pedestrians, cyclists and turning vehicles. This work will include narrowing the entrance to Wairaka Road by building out the kerbs, new road markings, dropped kerbs and improved pathway connections to improve access for pathway users.
Extensive traffic management will be in place for all works so residents can expect some disruptions while the works are completed.
Porirua City Council is managing the project, which is 100 percent funded by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency through its programme of highway cycle improvements.
Stage One improvements completed
Stage one of this project was completed in July 2021.
It included the following improvements:
Widening the zig zag pathway between Haunui Road and SH1 to make it easier for cyclists, particularly on the bends. This work included tree removal, re-asphalting the pathway and introducing holdrail in places.
Improved pathway directional signage from the lookout at the northern end of Pukerua Bay to Porirua Railway Station.
Pedestrian improvements through the northern lookout site.
*NB: In response to resident’s requests, extensive conversations were had with Waka Kotahi about installing a barrier or similar at the bottom of the zig-zag path to stop an errant rider from landing on SH59, however the barrier needed to be able to be compliant for vehicle drivers and not just provide protection for cyclists which meant that what was suitable for protecting cyclists was not safe or acceptable for the road environment and passing traffic. We have therefore opted to remove a couple of trees at the bottom of the zig-zag and widen the path to improve sightlines between path users at this pinch point.
Waka Kotahi has advised that the railway overbridge will be resurface Thursday 27th between 7:00 pm and 5:30 am (Friday Morning.
Good afternoon,
We would like to advise you of night-time resurfacing on State Highway 59 at the Pukerua Bay railway overbridge programmed for Thursday night, 27 October between 7pm and 5.30am.
Traffic will be managed with stop/go traffic control during the works.
We are again having direct access to the north, and work is continuing—so keep to the lowered speed limit. The latest from Waka Kotahi follows.
Good morning,
State Highway 59 between Pukerua Bay and Paekākāriki is now OPEN.
There are still active work sites along this corridor, so please take care and keep to the restricted speed limit for the safety of road users and crews.
SH 59 will not be re-open on Monday 12 September. There is more work to be undertaken. Waka Kotahi has provided the below up-date
Crews are working 24 hours daily to get State Highway 59 between Pukerua Bay and Paekākāriki reopened next week.
As of this morning, Friday, 9 September, 19,000 cubic metres, approximately 2500 truckloads of earth has been removed from the site as part of slip remediation, and slope benching works. Another 6,000 cubic metres, almost 800 truckloads, is to be removed this weekend.
Weather permitting, earthworks will be completed early next week.
The final part of the operation will be clearing the work site, installing edge barriers and reinstating the road before reopening safely to the public, which will take an additional 2-3 days.
On Monday, 12 September Waka Kotahi will provide an update on the expected timeframe for reopening the road.
Waka Kotahi has provided a further update. It is anticipated State Highway 59 will re-open Monday 12 September if work goes smoothly.
SLIP CONTROL, PUKERUA BAY HILLSIDE SAFETY PROJECT: UPDATE 2 September 2022
Since Friday 26 August,excavators have cleared the unstable overhang above the slip face and relocated the spoil using multiple trucks. Excavators are working at the top and bottom of the hillside to remove vegetation and soil to create a slope that will be stable long-term, rather than do a quick temporary clean-up. Benches (steps) are being formed along the hill to capture debris, like the benches seen on the Ngauranga Gorge hillside. Approximately 15,000 cubic metres will need be removed – that’s over 2300 truckloads of earth – with 7000 cubic metres already having been removed as at Thursday afternoon 1st September.
Multiple crews are working 10 hours a day, seven days a week to complete the safety project in as short a time as possible to minimise the impact on people’s journeys. To minimise customer impact from our maintenance activity for the next year, the closure between Pukerua Bay and Paekākāriki has been used by many crews to undertake scheduled maintenance work, such as road and barrier repairs, high risk tree removal and pruning along with drain clearing.
Work has also started on making the Pukerua Bay lookout at the top of the hill safe, where two slips have undermined footpaths.
When can the road reopen to the public?
It is hoped that the road could reopen on Monday 12 September 2022, if all goes smoothly. The safety project team continue to assess the site daily to seek potential opportunities to allow limited public access past the site. Meanwhile the road remains closed to all users.
Occasional planned and carefully coordinated escorts for any train replacement buses is occurring when needed, to maintain this vital link for people. Limited access has also been maintained between Pukerua Bay and Paekākāriki for cyclists and pedestrians who are able to use Pukerua Beach to access the path at the bottom of the hill. However, they need to exercise caution for the uneven surface and high tides.
Thanks for your patience and understanding while this essential work is carried out.
