School Resources

Disclaimer

Transit and the Bypass project team are frequently asked by students for detailed information on the decision-making processes followed in the Wellington Inner City Bypass as part of their studies.  This information can now be sourced from the webpage.

The information provided on this page is designed to provide information for specific school assignments, and should not be read as a complete summary of all approval processes undertaken for this project.

 

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Planning History

What did Transit Need to Consider?

The Inner City Bypass has been in the making since the 1960s when the urban motorway was developed. There have been numerous ideas and solutions to Wellington’s cross-city traffic, therefore the first step in revisiting this project was to determing the best route from the Terrrace Tunnel to the Basin Reserve in today’s environment (which includes motorists, pedestrians and a greater volume of cyclists).

Transit had to consider the following in the planning stages:

  • State highway through traffic (coming off SH1 from the Terrace Tunnel and entering onto local roads)
  • Local cross-city traffic
  • Pedestrians
  • Use of neighbouring properties
  • Traffic mix (cars, trucks etc)
  • Traffic growth
  • Required speed environment

We also had to determine what prohibited the route being completed and ask:

  • Can the problems be overcome?
  • Can the problem be moved? (ie historic houses)
  • Did the route need to go around the problems (ie did the route need to be changed to accommodate the historical components of the project)

Transit needed to gain support from local authorities especially Wellington City Council (WCC) and Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) as the project involved many local roads and facilities.

The project needed to be checked against roading design and safety policies.

The planning process took around 12 years to complete once the current alignment of the new Bypass had been decided.

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How Did The Planners Access the Information Needed to Develop the Road?

The planning process requires a substantial amount of research to gain the necessary information for planning the route, complying with legislation and applying for the required resource consents. It requires going through large public and Government documents including the:

  • Wellington City District Plan
  • Regional Land Transport Strategy (GWRC)
  • Terralink (land ownership database)

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What Were the Legislative Constraints in the Way?

  • The Wellington City Council’s District Plan

The District Plan outlines the zonings of the land and what can be developed or built on these zonings. Therefore a designation for the new Bypass route was required to change the zonings of the land that we required to build the route and alter some of the District Plan rules to permit us to build the new Bypass.

  • Historic Places Trust

The Bypass project has a large historical component with over 12 heritage buildings. Although we have relocated 19 buildings altogether due to some being ‘near-heritage’ buildings and they assist to form the new historic streetscape of Te Aro. Therefore, before approval for the route, Transit had to ensure the historic components of Te Aro would be protected and preserved.

Transit also had Historic Authorities undertake works which included Historic Places Trust undertaking substantial archaeological diggings and investigations for artefacts and investigation of the building changes over time.

  • Greater Wellington Council’s Regional Plan

The Regional Plan outlines the environmental conditions and facilities within the region. We had to apply for discharge consents for water, sediment control, noise and earthworks to undertake the construction works.

  • Resource Management Act

There have been many changes to the RMA over the last 5-10 years therefore the process of obtaining resource consents was a lengthy but very important piece of the project.

  • Transit New Zealand Act

Transit has to comply with all of the requirements of the Transit NZ Act.

  • Land Transport Management Act

Transit has to comply with all of the conditions of the Land Transport Management Act.  The Bypass was one of the first projects that was measured against the requirement criteria of the Act.

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What Was the Consultation Process?

The consultation process is an important process for Transit New Zealand and we are dedicated to consulting with the community especially on these large-scale projects. The Bypass affected a large community (namely Te Aro) and required quite a change in the landscape and layout of the suburb.

During the project we consulted with:

  • Greater Wellington Regional Council
  • Wellington City Council
  • owners/occupiers of the area
  • the wider Wellington public

We did this by:

  • personalised letters
  • advertisements
  • meetings
  • open days
  • newsletters
  • website
  • personal contact with those concerned
  • media releases

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How Was The Final Decision to Develop the Road Given?

Final approvals, leading to funding for construction being approved by Land Transport New Zealand, included:

  • all consents and legislative requirements had been obtained and met
  • the design had been finalised
  • a safety audit being undertaken
  • peer review of design and design elements (especially structures) had been completed
  • inclusion of the project in Land Transport NZ’s Land Transport Programme
  • inclusion of the project in Transit’s 10 year State Highway Forecast
  • confirmation the project met the Land Transport Management Act criteria
  • approval from the Transit NZ Board
  • funding application placed with Land Transport New Zealand
  • approval of funding
  • tender physical works documents
  • contractors apply to undertake the work required (tender)
  • evaluate tenders
  • award contract to Fulton Hogan Limited in September 2004.