Construction of a new bridge over the Waikato River and surrounding transport network is now under way. The network will be a key connection into Peacocke from Hillcrest and the eastern suburbs.
Council has contracted HEB Construction to do this work.
Key features of the project:
- Prioritises public transport, pedestrians and people on bikes.
- Considers long-tailed bat and copper skink populations and other native fauna.
- Partnership with iwi – including cultural design input, looking after the environment and Kaiarahi and Kaitiaki roles on site.
- Community spaces including a paa harakeke, pocket parks and play facilities.
- Part of a wider transport network planned for the Peacocke neighbourhood.
Check out our progress:
Waikato River bridge
- Four-lane bridge including dedicated bus lanes.
- Seperate pedestrian and cycling paths.
- 95 to 110m span over the Waikato River.
- No piers in the River.
- 215m overall length.
- Anchored by a pedestrian bridge on the northern side of the River.
- A single Y-shaped pillar on the south bank of the river, supporting a flat bridge deck spanning more than 200 metres long.
- Lighting and structural features have been chosen to minimise the impact on the native long-tailed bats and the surrounding environment both during construction, and when it is operational.
Check out the final concept designs for the new bridge:
Read the full story here
The surrounding transport network
- A 1.6km extension to Wairere Drive from the new bridge.
- Urban upgrades to Weston Lea Drive and Peacockes Road to accomodate traffic and footpaths.
- A network of underpasses, separated cycle paths and roads that prioritise buses and other public transport.
- A two-lane, four-way roundabout at the intersection of Wairere Drive extension and Peacockes Road.
- A signalised intersection at Peacockes Road and Weston Lea Drive.
- Relocating utility services and installing new ones to cater to growth.
- Stormwater, wastewater and water supply pipes installed.
Check out our concept plans for the surrounding transport network here:
Construction of the bridge and surrounding transport network is budgeted to cost $135M.
Peacocke is being built with the support of $290.4M of the Government's Housing Infrastructure Fund, made up of a $180.3M 10-year interest-free loan and $110.1M of Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency subsidies.
TIMELINE
| September 2018 - March 2019 - Planning | Complete |
| March to June 2019 - Preliminary design | Complete |
| July 2019 to July 2020 - Detailed design and construction drawings | Complete |
| April to August 2020 - Tender process | Complete |
| September 2020 - Contract award for construction | Complete |
| November 2020 - Construction starts |
|
| Late 2023 – Bridge and surrounding roads open | |
What's happening now
Peacockes Road changes
Traffic management is in place at various points along Peacockes Road to provide safe work areas while we continue to make progress as quickly and safely as we can. Please note that much of our work requires traffic restrictions to one lane or temporary road closures.
We will continue to maintain safe access for pedestrians and cyclists.
Over the next few months we’re expecting construction to ramp up even more in the area, including some significant traffic changes. We’re working through what these will look like and will be in touch with confirmed details and dates closer to the time. Keep an eye out for changes in our traffic management and follow the signs of our team as we start these works.
Temporary diversion road for new roundabout
Soon we'll be diverting Peacockes Road traffic onto a temporary road to allow us more room to build the new roundabout. The roundabout is a significant part of the project and when complete, will include underpasses for pedestrians and cyclists.
Weston Lea Drive upgrade
We've started on the urban upgrade of Weston Lea Drive – a key part of the new Peacocke transport network. Once complete, it will have pedestrian and cycling paths on both sides, street lighting and some on-street parking.
New intersection at Weston Lea Drive/ Peacockes Road
There's a temporary new intersection at the corner of Weston Lea Drive and Peacockes Road, opposite Peacockes Lane. This is a unsealed for now so residents on Weston Lea Drive can access their properties while we continue with our work.
Weston Lea Drive closure
We're closing off sections of Weston Lea Drive to all traffic, so we can install new stormwater, wastewater and water pipes for future development in the area. Closing sections of the road at a time allows room for our machinery to complete this work as quickly and safely as possible. The final pavement, footpaths and kerb/ channel will start in October.
Earthworks continue
We're continuing with earthworks to shape the ground for future roads to be built. In some cases, you might see us stockpiling some of the dirt, so we can use this to build future roads and landscaping. We're doing our best to manage dust in the dry summer season using water trucks.
Waikato River bridge
We've started piling work on the bridge site to lay the foundations for both the Waikato River and pedestrian bridges
Get in touch
If you have any questions about construction, please get in touch with:
Kellie Ellis
HEB Stakeholder Communication and Engagement Manager
0800 PEACOCKE
peacocke@heb.co.nz