The proposals
How did you decide on the different options?
We developed scoping reports for the transport improvements around the Basin Reserve, the Mt Victoria Tunnel duplication and the Ruahine Street and Wellington Road upgrades. These reports outlined the options and assessments, which we used to develop our preferences.
How will these proposals affect the safety of school students, and people attending events at the Basin?
A bridge separating through traffic will make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists to get around by reducing street-level traffic, while enabling the NZTA to put in place improved drop-off, walking and cycling facilities and a new pedestrian plaza.
Separating traffic with a new bridge north of the Basin Reserve will make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists to get around by reducing the amount of traffic around the Basin at ground level. This will particularly make it safer and easier when events are held at the Basin, as well as for the large numbers of school students who attend schools in the area.
We are also proposing a larger, safer bus stop and drop off point outside St Marks School, wider footpaths with seats and trees, safer crossings, a shared pedestrian and cycle way from Kent terrace to Mt Victoria Tunnel, and a pedestrian plaza on the Northern entrance to the Basin.
Why hasn't the NZTA put forward a tunnel option for improvements around the Basin Reserve?
A tunnel would have been very difficult and expensive to construct as it presented several serious engineering problems; the steep gradient, the swampy ground conditions, reduced access from Tory and Tasman Streets, and the difficulty of accommodating a portal near the Basin Reserve without causing severance and disruption for pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
We've carried out extensive investigations into other options for the Basin Reserve.
A tunnel under the Basin Reserve would also be susceptible to tsunami risk due to its low-lying nature, whereas a bridge can be built to withstand a 1 in 2500 year earthquake.
Why hasn't the NZTA put forward a street-level option for improvements around the Basin Reserve?
While street-level improvements around the Basin Reserve were cheaper, such options didn't adequately address the capacity constraints around the Basin which require the separation of competing streams of traffic.
We've carried out extensive investigations into other options for the Basin Reserve.
With regard to street-level options, while these were cheaper than a bridge, they did not address the capacity constraints around the Basin. While they performed reasonably well for westbound traffic on SH1, these options were projected to increase congestion for north-south traffic, including existing and any future public transport services between the CBD and Newtown.
To properly address congestion for all transport users around the Basin Reserve, it was necessary to separate east-west traffic from the north-south traffic it competes with, which requires grade separation to be effective.
Why does westbound traffic have to go on a bridge?
Two of the six options considered for the transport improvements around the Basin Reserve kept State Highway 1 at street level. However, while they were cheaper to build than a bridge, they:
- Delivered fewer economic, design and social benefits
- Were not as good as a bridge in separating SH1 traffic from local traffic, particularly buses and possible light rail.
The bridge will also better meet the needs of future generations, particularly if they wanted to upgrade the Inner City Bypass.
Why not use a tunnel for westbound traffic on SH1?
We considered building a tunnel around the Basin Reserve. However, because it had to extend between Paterson and Taranaki Streets to be viable, it would have been significantly more expensive to build than a bridge. The tunnel construction would also have been difficult given the need to build it in an old swamp and its vertical geometry would be poor.
What other options did you consider?
The project team also considered east-west tunnels and street-level improvements.
However:
- A tunnel from Mount Victoria would have had to extend past the War Memorial. Its length and drainage issues made it too costly and risky
- None of the street-level options met the project objectives or would have met Wellington's needs in the near future.
- For a summary of the other options considered see Options investigated by rejected (PDF, 16 pages, 556 KB). More detailed information is available in the scoping report.
Some other options are still being considered (PDF, 1 page, 488 KB).
Memorial Park
How is the second Mt Victoria Tunnel linked to options for the NZ Memorial Park/Buckle Street?
The Mt Victoria Tunnel duplication is being undertaken as part of the 'Terrace Tunnel to Wellington Airport' study, which includes the Basin Reserve and the NZ Memorial Park on Buckle Street.
Why is the NZTA keeping ownership of the land to the north of Buckle Street?
The land is being kept in NZ Transport Agency ownership so that future generations can, if necessary, provide for eastbound traffic on the Inner City Bypass between Tory Street and Cambridge Terrace.
Any memorials placed in the area north of Buckle Street will be designed so they can be relocated during construction, and then replaced. This idea has already been the subject of several studies.
What does the future hold for properties either side of the NZ Memorial Park?
Properties on the southern side of the road, such as the Carillon, are key components of the War Memorial and will be protected. The NZ Transport Agency will own and hold the land immediately north of the road for use as a potential highway in the future. In the meantime, this area will be used as part of the NZ Memorial Park.
The memorials on the northern side of the road will be designed so they can be easily removed and replaced once any road works are complete.
For more information, see Buckle Street - an update on plans for the NZ Memorial Park (PDF, 1 page, 312 KB).
Walking, cycling and public transport
Will I still be able to walk past the Basin Reserve?
All of the current pedestrian routes will be maintained, with pedestrian crossings provided where necessary. The project team is also considering the merits of a pedestrian and cycling facility between Mount Victoria and Buckle Street, along the edge of the bridge structure.
How will bus journeys change?
The bus routes will stay the same, but some bus stops may be moved or bus lanes changed. Journey times will reduce by 18 to 52 seconds.
How will the bus priority lanes work?
Bus priority lanes will be installed on the roads around the Basin Reserve. For southbound buses, the priority lane will be on the outside edge of Dufferin Street. Northbound buses will be given a green light before other traffic and will travel in a priority lane on the inside of Sussex Street next to the Basin Reserve.
For more information on walking, cycling and public transport, see Public transport, walking and cycling - now and in the future (PDF, 1 page, 475 KB).
Why can't we just add bus lanes, bus-only phases and yellow crosshatching?
Some people have suggested that we extend the northbound bus lane on Adelaide Road right to the intersection and add an initial bus-only phase to the signals and crosshatching to the road. This, they say, would enable buses to get across the tailback on State Highway 1 from Taranaki/Tory Streets, which currently prevents access to the inner lane.
However:
- Extending the bus lane right to the intersection would leave only one lane (instead of two) for general vehicles turning left to Rugby Street from Adelaide Road. When combined with the suggested additional bus-only phase, the intersection’s capacity would be severely limited, leading to extensive congestion on Adelaide Road and SH1 back to Kent Terrace southbound, and delays in bus travel.
- Crosshatching would deliver minimal benefits; experience tells us that few motorists would avoid stopping on it.
- The proposal to extend the bus lane to the stop line on Adelaide Road, with a bus-only phase, is part of this project. However, it’s only achievable if we remove the heavy SH1 westbound traffic from Rugby Street.
Other suggestions have included:
- Providing a bus priority lane at the Dufferin/Paterson intersection. This would require us to create a dedicated bus lane on the intersection approach, leaving only one lane for through traffic on Dufferin Street. It would have a significant impact on the intersection capacity and result in extensive traffic queues.
- Extending crosshatching all the way from the Paterson/Dufferin Streets intersection to the Rugby Street/Dufferin Street/Government House corner (where separate lanes for SH1 and Adelaide Road traffic are provided); and adding crosshatching at Ellice Street to prevent a backlog from Mt Victoria Tunnel blocking buses getting to the Basin Reserve lanes. However, the Mt Victoria Tunnel duplication and Ruahine Street improvements should reduce these problems.
Heritage
What will happen to the heritage buildings and sites along the route?
We've discussed this with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, and together we're developing a plan to manage the impacts on heritage buildings and sites. Each building and site could have its own unique solution.
A particular feature of the area around the Basin Reserve is the historic former Home of Compassion creche. For more information, see Former Home of Compassion creche (PDF, 1 page, 437 KB)
Traffic
Are we going to see traffic on the bridge queuing back from the signals at Taranaki and Tory Streets?
No. The three-laning of Taranaki Street and improvements to the Tory Street intersection will reduce queuing at these spots.
We're also investigating measures to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Inner City Bypass, as well as links to local roads. These are likely to be part of a wider package of improvements to State Highway 1.
What will happen at Pirie Street?
The right-turn movements to and from Pirie Street will be removed. Instead, motorists will need to turn right out of Elizabeth Street.
Changes to the Inner City Bypass
What are the 'interim improvements' to the Inner City Bypass?
As part of ensuring that the transport network operates safely and efficiently, the NZTA and Wellington City Council are looking at ways to get more out of what we have by making relatively small changes. The Inner City Bypass improvements are likely to be relatively low cost, with the aim of increasing road capacity and better co-ordinating traffic signals on State Highway 1 and local roads.
The interim improvements could include adjusting traffic signal settings, reprioritising road space, restricting some traffic movements and widening some roads to provide additional capacity.
Other
How is the second Mt Victoria Tunnel linked to options for the Basin Reserve?
The Mt Victoria Tunnel duplication is being undertaken as part of the 'Terrace Tunnel to Wellington Airport' study, which includes the Basin Reserve and the NZ Memorial Park on Buckle Street.
What will the noise effects be during construction?
We'll take every reasonable step to manage construction noise. This will include adopting best practices in construction noise management and avoiding high-noise-generating activities during sensitive times.
