Sealed stop bank to provide cycling access to Upper Hutt’s city centre

An asphalt path along the Hutt River stop bank will provide cyclists with and alternative scenic route to Upper Hutt’s city centre.

UPPER HUTT, Wellington NZ, 27 MAY 2014—Sealing work has begun along Upper Hutt’s river stop bank to make cycling through to the city centre a more attractive option.

The new seal will run parallel to the unsealed Hutt River Trail on the south side of State Highway 2 on top of the stop bank. It will extend from Moonshine Park through to Poplar Grove (crossing both Whakatiki and Gibbons Streets close to their State Highway 2 intersections). The termination at Poplar Grove will provide easy and safe access to the main urban streets that service the city centre, such as Whitley Avenue.

This section of the path is designed as an alternative to the Hutt River Trail to provide an easy detour into the city centre. Cyclists using the Hutt River Trail (now a section of the longer Rimutaka Cycle Trail) will be able to take a short break on their journey and make use of the amenities that the city centre provides. Beginning the seal at Moonshine park also means that users will not have to cross the busy State Highway 2 at the entry point to the city centre. For cyclists continuing north, there will be signage directing them to the existing cycleway at the river end of Ebdentown Street.

“This is a good way for us to connect our city centre to the region’s larger cycle networks,” says Upper Hutt Mayor, Wayne Guppy. “Visitors come here from all over the world, so we want to make sure they have access to us if they need it—particularly to information on our surrounding attractions and amenities.”

Dews Construction is carrying out the work which is expected to be complete by the end of June 2014. They will be installing a compacted base course and asphalt seal path that will be capable of withstanding both foot and cycle traffic. The path will be close to 2.85 km long and is expected to cost $380,000.

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