Mt Victoria Tunnel to Cobham Drive

A second Mt Victoria Tunnel

At present

• Built in 1931, the 625 metre long Mt Victoria Tunnel provides a vital transport link between the airport, eastern suburbs and CBD. The tunnel carries nearly 40,000 vehicles every day (about 20,000 in each direction) and is operating at capacity.
• The tunnel has two narrow lanes, one each way, and an elevated but narrow shared pedestrian and cycle path on the northern side. The tunnel is currently being upgraded to meet modern fire safety standards.
• There are concerns about the tunnel’s comfort and safety for pedestrians and cyclists. If access for pedestrians and cyclists were improved, more people might choose to walk or cycle between the eastern suburbs and the CBD.
• The parties to the Corridor Plan have decided that a second Mt Victoria Tunnel be investigated.

What is proposed

We investigated several options for building a second Mt Victoria Tunnel, including replacing the existing tunnel with a wider one and building a separate two-lane tunnel.

We’ve decided to build a second tunnel immediately to the north of the existing one. This location was considered during the Corridor Plan’s development and in studies undertaken in the 1970s.

The new tunnel will be 700 metres long and provide two lanes for eastbound traffic. It will also provide a four metre wide path for pedestrians and cyclists. The existing tunnel will provide two lanes for westbound traffic. It’s proposed that both tunnels will discharge fumes through the portals, avoiding the need for ventilation stacks on Mt Victoria. The speed limit in both tunnels will be 60 kph.

In the July – August public engagement we asked how we could best meet the needs of pedestrians and cyclists in the new tunnel.

We’re considering two options for pedestrians and cyclists in the new tunnel:

• Separate pedestrians and cyclists fully from vehicles by building a wall between the pathway and the traffic lanes. We’d improve pedestrians' and cyclists' personal safety by inserting windows along this wall, giving passing vehicles views into the pathway
• Separate pedestrians and cyclists partially from vehicles by providing a safety barrier between the pathway and traffic lanes.

In both cases lighting, security cameras and emergency phones will be installed to enhance pedestrians’ and cyclists’ personal safety.

Ruahine Street

At present

• Ruahine Street is only one lane in each direction and is regularly congested with traffic.
• The existing right turn out of Taurima Street to Ruahine Street is unsafe and causes congestion at peak times.
• There is a 25 metre designation in the WCC District Plan signalling a long-term intention to widen Ruahine Street into the Town Belt.
• The intersection at Goa Street provides access between SH1 and Hataitai Park. This intersection is regularly congested, particularly at weekends.
• The parties to the Corridor Plan have decided that Ruahine Street be investigated. Any widening would require us to upgrade the intersection of Ruahine Street and Wellington Road.

What is proposed

We considered several options for widening Ruahine Street, including to the east or to the west. We believe the best option is to widen Ruahine Street to the west into the Town Belt, as already signalled to the community by the 25 metre widening designation.

The widened Ruahine Street will need four lanes. However, in some cases additional lanes will be required to ensure that the intersections on Ruahine Street operate safely and efficiently.

Under this proposal:

• Traffic signals will be installed at the intersection of Goa Street and Ruahine Street and at the intersection of Goa Street and Moxham Avenue, to ensure Moxham Avenue operates effectively
• In places, particularly by Badminton Hall, the encroachment into the Town Belt could exceed the existing designation boundary by up to 25 metres
• The speed limit on Ruahine Street will be 60 kph
• A separate, six metre wide pedestrian and cycle path will follow SH1 along Ruahine Street. This will be shared as a 'service lane' with vehicles that need to access properties in Ruahine Street. Further work on its design will be undertaken in the next phase of the project.

We'll need to acquire about 1.6 hectares of Town Belt land to accommodate the additional lanes for traffic and the service lane. Because of this, we're working with the appropriate authorities to ensure that the amount of open, green recreational space in the Town Belt is retained as far as practicable.

Things we considered in making this decision

We appreciate that the community may be concerned about the idea of using part of the Town Belt for roading purposes. However, we made the decision to encroach into this land after carefully considering all the options. The result is a trade-off between using open space and acquiring private properties, while remembering that decisions like these have enormous significance not only for people and communities today but for generations to follow.

In making our decision, we considered:

•  The 25 metre widening designation, which has been in place for many years. The designation already encroaches into the Town Belt along Ruahine Street and signals to the community a long-term intention to widen Ruahine Street to the west
• The impacts that acquiring properties on the east of Ruahine Street would have on the community.

Our challenge was to balance these considerations with the need to deliver an important piece of infrastructure that will bring significant benefits to Wellington and the region in supporting a growing population, improving safety and relieving congestion.

Ruahine Street and Wellington Road intersection

At present

• This intersection is used by people travelling along SH1 and those using SH1 to connect to Kilbirnie, Miramar, the airport and Newtown.
• It’s a key route for dangerous goods and oversized vehicles that can’t use Mt Victoria Tunnel.
• It’s on a tight bend and has a poor crash history.
• Any widening would require an upgrade to this intersection.

What is proposed

We investigated several options for improving this intersection, including building a tunnel, installing a roundabout and providing free traffic flow on SH1 by restricting turns.
We’ve decided to keep the intersection and all existing turns, but move it 30 metres north and install traffic signals. The new location and traffic signals will improve safety for vehicles and in particular visibility for motorists.

Wellington Road

At present

• Wellington Road between Ruahine Street and Cobham Drive is regularly congested.
• There is a 25 metre designation between Kilbirnie Crescent and Ruahine Street in the WCC District Plan, which signals a long-term intention to widen Wellington Road into private property to the south.
• Unlike on Cobham Drive and the southern portion of Evans Bay Parade, there is no dedicated cycle way on Wellington Road.
• The parties to the Corridor Plan have decided that Wellington Road be investigated.

What is proposed

We’ve investigated widening Wellington Road to the north or to the south between Ruahine Street and Kilbirnie Crescent.

We believe we should widen Wellington Road to the south. This is required to:

• Ensure that the intersections on Wellington Road operate efficiently and safely
• Accommodate a six metre wide service lane that will be shared with pedestrians and cyclists.

To complete the widening we’ll need to acquire all the properties on the southern side of Wellington Road between Ruahine Street and Kilbirnie Crescent. Between Kilbirnie Crescent and Cobham Drive, we’ll need to acquire up to 1,200 square metres of Kilbirnie Park and up to 300 square metres of St Patrick's College land.

Things we considered in making this decision

We appreciate that they may be some community concerns about the need to acquire private property for this project.

In making our decision to acquire properties along Wellington Road, we considered the existing 25 widening designation, which already encroaches into private properties on the southern side of Wellington Road.

Although the proposed widening will exceed this designation, we believe that its existence signals to the community a long-term intention to widen Wellington Road to the south.

We also considered the potential community concerns about using land in Kilbirnie Park. While we understand these concerns, we concluded that the benefits of having a high-quality pedestrian and cycle way between Cobham Drive and the Basin Reserve justified our approach. It will also reduce the safety hazards associated with  private properties having direct access to Wellington Road.

The proposed green corridor connecting the Town Belt and Kilbirnie Park, and its associated recreational benefits, will help to reduce the impacts of using this land.