Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway

Prioritising sensitive local ecology and stakeholder engagement leads to a groundbreaking new state highway across the Manawatū.

Location

Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand

Client

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency

Project Value

$620 million

Project Status

Start Date: November 2018, Estimated Completion Date: November 2024

Alliance Partners:

Fulton Hogan, HEB Construction, Aurecon

Project Description

In April 2017, severe weather caused major slips on State Highway 3 (SH3) through the Manawatū Gorge. This is a major route connecting the Manawatū, Tararua District, Hawke’s Bay and northern Wairarapa. The road was closed and traffic was diverted via local roads which are not of State Highway standard, increasing accident risk and travel times. A safe, resilient and efficient replacement road was required.

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11.5km of road

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2 million new trees and plants

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6 bridges along the route

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350 workers at any one time

Project Challenges

Our client, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, proposed a new 11.5km route connecting with State Highway 57 south of Ashhurst and SH3 west of Woodville. The route presents several challenges: it travels through high-value and sensitive ecological areas, an operating wind farm, and crosses multiple seismic faults. Minimising impacts on ecology, windfarm operations and maintenance and managing landowner and stakeholder expectations are essential to this project.

The WSP Design team at Rangitāne Marae, Palmerston North Te Papa-i-Oea.

Our Solution

Together with our Alliance partners we proposed a route that was partially outside the original Notice of Requirement designation to minimise impact on the ecology of the area, while also avoiding the decommissioning of any wind turbines. Our team’s design incorporated improvements to make the road more resilient during earthquakes and slips, provides ecological enhancements and develops new community facilities.

The new road will have a traffic lane and a crawler lane in each direction over most of the route, separated by a median strip and new bridge crossing the Manawatū River. It includes separated walking and cycling facilities. Currently our team is working with iwi partners Rangitāne o Manawatū, Rangitāne o Tamaki Nui-a-Rua, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Raukawa to refine the road’s design.

We are also currently carrying out consenting activities and designing enabling works. Enabling works are due to commence in the 2019/20 summer with construction due to begin in the summer of 2020/21.

Our Insights

Josh Irvine

WSP Water Lead, Josh Irvine, and his team designed 40 culverts, 30 realigned streams and 90 cut off drains, to make sure they delivered resilience water solutions for the complex Te Ahu a Turanga project.

Read Josh's Insights

Kate Chivers

WSP Resource Management Planner, Kate Chivers, made sure that sustainability was integrated throughout Te Ahu a Turanga, which is the first Waka Kotahi project to undergo an ISCA rating.

Kumeroa Pihama

WSP Iwi Engagement Manager, Kumeroa Pihama, made sure that the methodology for Te Ahu a Turanga met both client and Iwi expectations, and took a major step towards true partnership under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Read Kumeroa's Insights