Work starts on Cobham Drive bike path and footpath

Wellington City Council contractors started work this week to build a new two-way, off-road bike path and footpath on the harbour side of Cobham Drive.

Downer has made a start at the eastern end of Cobham drive, alongside the old Aberdeen Quay seawall, to shift the kerb to create the 3m bike path and 2m footpath. The footpath, to be constructed of exposed aggregate, will run next to the seawall, with an asphalt path next to the road.

This initial stage of the project will focus on the area between the Calabar Road roundabout and Shelly Bay Road. Contractors will start by remarking the painted median and repositioning the raised median islands across Cobham Drive, before extending the kerb by 2m.

Access for all road users, including bike riders and pedestrians, will be maintained during construction. Parking spaces along this section of Cobham Drive, however, will be cordoned off once work starts. Any cars parked there will be towed nearby. Owners of these vehicles can call the Council’s Contact Centre on 499 4444.

The work on this section is expected to be finished by the end of November. The road will then be resealed.

Meanwhile, work is continuing on detailed designs for the next stage of the project, which will include:

• installing new street lighting poles along Cobham Drive – most of these will be located in the central medians. This will allow the existing overhead trolley bus cable poles and kerbside street light poles to be removed

• building the next section of the bike path and footpath between Evans Bay Parade and Calabar Road roundabout

• an improved crossing for pedestrians and bikes at the Evans Bay Parade/Cobham Drive intersection.

The $4m project is part of the Wellington City Cycleways Programme to build a safe connected cycle network, with Cobham Drive an important link for people in the eastern suburbs.

For the whole distance, the walking path will be closest to the harbour’s edge, with landscaping and planting carried out to enhance the coastal environment. At times the footpath and bike path will run side by side, likely separated by low-growing plants. The bike path will be separated from the kerb by a 1m buffer zone.

The Cobham Drive project is part of the capital’s $37.25 million investment in a connected cycle network to make riding a bike in Wellington easier and safer. Two-thirds of the investment will be made by the Government – through the Urban Cycleways Fund and National Land Transport Fund – and one-third by the Council.

People can go online – at transportprojects.org.nz – to see more details about the Cobham Drive project and how it will connect to a planned network.

ENDS

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