NZ Transport Agency: Early Project Completion
19 November 2009
NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) officially
celebrated the early completion of the SH2 Dowse to Petone
Upgrade Project today.
NZTA Wellington Regional
Director Deborah Hume says a plaque unveiling event was held
this morning at the same site where the start of the project
was hailed just over two years ago, at the base of Dowse
Drive.
“It’s tremendous to return to the same
place to celebrate the end of the project and be able to see
the fruits of our labour,” Dr Hume says.
The
celebration was attended by Transport Minister Hon Steven
Joyce, MP Paul Quinn, Hutt City Mayor David Ogden, NZTA and
the project team. Local iwi representatives from the Te
Tatau O Te Po Marae also performed a karakia.
The
changes the project made were appreciated by road users
before work was completed once SH2’s three sets of traffic
signals at Dowse Drive and Korokoro were removed. These
were a frequent cause of delays and accidents on the highway
and two issues that needed to be addressed by the
project.
As well as establishing a new interchange at
the base of Dowse Drive and a new overbidge at Korokoro, a
new bridge and Park n Ride carpark at Petone Railway Station
have been created. A new service lane behind the Korokoro
Industrial Area has also been constructed along with
improvements to Percy Scenic Reserve’s carpark and
access.
“The project has been a massive undertaking
given what needed to be built in such a confined space
between the railway lines on one side and the hills on the
other and also because of the need to work on a road that
was continuously in use,” Dr Hume says.
“It’s
been a success in achieving all of this ahead of schedule,
under budget and with tremendous positive support from the
people who depend on the road for their daily travel. They
would be the harshest critics and for them to embrace the
work as it was undertaken is certainly worth
celebrating.”
The project, which represents a more
than $60 million investment in the region’s roading
infrastructure, has been the biggest carried out in the
Wellington region for some time. It also marked the start
of further improvements on SH2 including the Muldoons Corner
Easing work on Rimutaka Hill, SH2/SH58 Haywards Interchange,
and investigation into improvements on the section between
Melling and Haywards Hill Road.
“We’re looking
forward to further improvements on the Hutt Valley highway
in
future.”
ENDS