A bypass of Ōtaki, and the provision of a high standard four-lane expressway through the area will increase the efficiency of freight and people movements between Wellington and the North. It will ease local trip congestion, and will assist in facilitating economic development in the area.
The aim of this project is to remove congestion points for through-traffic and thereby improve journey time reliability through the Kāpiti Coast growth area, and to improve safety. This will improve the efficiency of freight and people movements between Wellington and the north and will assist in facilitating economic productivity and growth in the area as well as improving safety.
The importance of improvement of the state highway network throughout the Kāpiti district has been identified by a number of studies. The SH1 network faces a number of transportation issues throughout the district. These include:
The focus of the state highway network is on moving people and freight between and within the main centres of New Zealand as safely and efficiently as possible. The local network and community objectives and needs are also important in considering the need for the project, given the dual function that SH1 currently provides. The project therefore seeks to achieve an integrated network that also facilitates local trips and modal choice, while recognising that the transformation of current SH1 to a local road is the subject of a separate statutory process.
A shared path for cyclists and pedestrians is under construction as part of the Peka Peka to Ōtaki section of the Kāpiti Expressway. Learn more about the PP2Ō shared path.
The project has a number of key features:
The proposed access arrangement to and from the expressway for Ōtaki includes providing south-facing ramps to the south of Ōtaki (at Ōtaki Gorge Road) and north-facing ramps to the north of Ōtaki to provide ease of access in and out of Ōtaki.
The four-lane expressway will deliver a wide range of benefits:
Getting the project underway involved years of community consultation. Starting in 2001, consultation carried right through to 2014 when the EPA appointed a Board of Inquiry to assess and subsequently approve the PP2Ō project for construction. View the full summary of this process.
Working with the project’s neighbours and the wider community throughout the construction phase is an important part of this job. The project has a dedicated community engagement team who are based locally in Ōtaki and keeps people updated through monthly e-newsletters, and also with regular information flyers about localised works happening in specific areas. Visit the visitor centre at 216 Main Highway Ōtaki or come along to one the local info hubs in Te Horo and Ōtaki township to find out more about the project.
The project team works with over 200 key stakeholders, including iwi, local authorities, and transport interest groups, schools, sporting clubs, local landowners, community groups, environmental groups, ecologists and neighbours.
The community engagement team is based in the project office in Akeake Place, Ōtaki and they are always happy to meet with people interested in the project. If you’d like to know more, please get in touch:
You can also subscribe to our regular monthly enewsletter updates.(external link)
More detailed queries can be mailed to:
Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway
NZ Transport Agency
PO Box 5084
Lambton Quay
Wellington 6145
