NEWS RELEASE

12 December 2016

Big new street lights on Hutt Road will improve travel for all road users

Street lighting along Hutt Road will be better and brighter with the installation of new poles and LED lights over the next few months. This work is part of updating Wellington City’s lighting infrastructure and starts the first phase of work to upgrade the Hutt Road shared walking and cycling path.

Wellington City Council will be installing over 100 new poles and energy-efficient LED lights on the western side of Hutt Road, from Tinakori Road to Jarden Mile. This will improve visibility for everyone using this busy route. The new poles will have big outreach arms of three to four metres to light up the whole road and shared path.

The Council’s Portfolio Leader for Public Transport, Cycling and Walking, Cr Sarah Free, says the old lighting poles on the shared path between Ngauranga and Aotea Quay will be removed to improve safety for people walking or cycling.

“This is an important step towards improving the city’s transport network and giving people better choices for how they travel.”

City Councillors have voted in August this year to go with a staged approach to implementing the cycleway and other transport improvements on this route. This means the shared path can be upgraded and made safer but not yet converted to a wider two-way cycleway and dedicated pedestrian path.

Councillors also opted to delay removing the car parks from the shared path until parking solutions have been identified. Any decisions on parking will be made by the new Council.

The Council’s Portfolio Leader for Transport Strategy and Operations, Cr Chris Calvi-Freeman, says the improvements to the Hutt Road cycleway are part of the Hutt Valley to Wellington city route and a critical piece of the wider transport network.

“The need for a safer cycling path along Hutt Road continues to grow and with support from the Government via the Urban Cycleway Fund and the National Land Transport Fund, this work is getting under way.”

NZ Transport Agency Regional Director Raewyn Bleakley says the cycleway is part of planned investment to make the journey for people cycling from Hutt Valley to Wellington city safe, consistent and connected.

“We are pleased to be working in partnership with the Wellington City Council delivering Wellington’s urban cycleways programme which will help give people more transport choices for their journeys. Improving safety on this route is a step in the right direction and we look forward to seeing more progress in 2017.”

The Hutt Road cycleway will be the first in Wellington City to benefit from the Government’s Urban Cycleways Programme. Two-thirds of the $9m cost will come from the Urban Cycleways Fund and National Land Transport Fund. The first stage from Ngauranga to Aotea Quay overbridge will cost approximately $4 million, including the street light upgrade..

Cr Free says detailed construction plans for improvements on the path itself are being finalised and work is scheduled to start in February 2017. “In the coming weeks we’ll consider how we can mark this 2017 milestone.”

The lighting work is expected to be complete in early 2017 with minimal disruption for businesses and road users.

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