Kāpiti Expressway

The Kāpiti Expressway is a four-lane grade-separated expressway on New Zealand's State Highway 1 route through the Kāpiti Coast north of Wellington. From the northernmost terminus of the Transmission Gully Motorway at Mackays Crossing just north of Paekākāriki, it extends northwards 31 km (19 mi) to just north of Ōtaki, bypassing the former two-lane route through Raumati South, Paraparaumu, Waikanae, Peka Peka, Te Horo and Ōtaki.

State Highway 1 shield}}
Kapiti Expressway
State Highway 1
Map showing the Kāpiti Expressway in red, and the proposed Horwhenua District extension (north of Ōtaki to North of Levin) in blue.
Route information
Maintained by NZ Transport Agency
Length31 km (19 mi)
History24 February 2017–present
Major junctions
North end SH 1 north, north of Ōtaki
South end SH 1 south (Transmission Gully Motorway) / SH 59 south (Whareroa Road) at Mackays Crossing
Location
CountryNew Zealand
Primary
destinations
Highway system
View of road lanes from over bridge.
Looking south along the Kāpiti Expressway towards the Kapiti Road interchange

Construction

The section from just south of Mackays Crossing to just south of Poplar Avenue at Raumati South was completed in 2007 with the completion of the Mackays Crossing interchange and rail overbridge, bypassing the existing rail level crossing. The previously constructed four-lane section from Mackays Crossing to Poplar Avenue was upgraded during 2016 and early 2017 to provide an improved road surface. This section of road is constructed on an old peat swamp and develops an uneven surface over time.

Work on the Raumati to Peka Peka section started in December 2013.[1] The official opening ceremony was held on 16 February 2017, and the expressway opened to traffic in the early hours of 24 February 2017, some three months ahead of the original scheduled date. Some works, including the final layer of asphalt on some sections and roundabouts at the Peka Peka and Poplar Avenue interchanges, took until mid-2017 to complete.[2][3]

The first sod was turned on the 13 km Peka Peka to Ōtaki northern extension on 6 July 2017, and it opened to traffic on 22 December 2022.[4]

Controversies

After 18 months it was apparent the road needed repairs. 49 kilometres of lanes were found to be leaking, due to the new type of low-sound asphalt that was used for its construction. This caused the road to crack and sink in many areas.[5] When the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) were asked, under an Official Information Act request, to provide information on the cause of the issues encountered they declined.[6]

In July 2017 the Transport Minister Simon Bridges announced that an full Peka Peka Interchange would need to be built to connect the Waikanae North, Peka Peka and Te Horo Communities to the Kāpiti Expressway.[7] In January 2019, the NZTA announced plans to stop this project.[8][9] An initiative was formed named "Finish our Road"[10] focusing on the safety implications because higher traffic on local roads, impact on ratepayers subject to higher maintenance costs and impact on the rural communities of the Kāpiti Coast. In May 2019, the Kāpiti Coast District Council voted unanimously to back the goals of the initiative to review the business case provided by NZTA and their decision not to build the Peka Peka interchange.[11]

History

The Kāpiti Expressway has been constructed in two sections:

MacKays to Peka Peka (M2PP) was the first section to begin construction. The southern end linked SH 1 just north of Paekākāriki to with a two-lane highway towards Porirua City eventually linking with the four-lane Johnsonville–Porirua Motorway which was constructed in the 1950s. The northern end linked to the existing two-lane SH 1 from Peka Peka north towards Otaki, Levin and beyond.

In March 2022 the Transmission Gully Motorway was opened between MacKays and Linden. This bypassed the two-lane section of SH 1 and the former section became State Highway 59. This section is not officially part of the Kāpiti Expressway.[12])

The Peka Peka to Ōtaki (PP2Ō) expressway section opened on 23 December 2022. At its official opening on 21 December Ngati Raukawa gifted the name Te Ara Tuku o Te Rauparaha, in honour of the legendary rangatira memorialised near the church Rangiātea in Ōtaki town.[4]

A 24km expressway, from north of Ōtaki to north of Levin, is expected to begin construction in 2025 and opening around 2029.[13]

Exit list

All exits are unnumbered.

LocationkmmiDestinationsNotes
Ōtaki998.5620.4Waitohu Stream bridgeNorthern terminus, SH 1 continues north towards Levin
999.8621.2Main Highway – ŌtakiSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
1,001.7622.4Ōtaki River
1,002.1622.7Ōtaki Gorge Road – ŌtakiNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
Peka Peka1,012.0628.8Peka Peka Road – Peka Peka, WaikanaeSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
Waikanae1,017.0631.9Te Moana Road – Waikanae, Waikanae Beach
1,018.4632.8Waikanae River
Paraparaumu1,023.0635.7Kapiti Road – Paraparaumu, Paraparaumu Beach
Raumati1,026.6637.9Poplar Avenue – Raumati, ParaparaumuNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
Mackays Crossing1,030.3640.2 SH 59 (Whareroa Road) – Queen Elizabeth ParkSouthern terminus, SH 1 continues south as Transmission Gully Motorway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References
  1. "Work starts on MacKays to Peka Peka expressway". Fairfax New Zealand (via Stuff.co.nz). 2 December 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  2. Maxwell, Joel (7 February 2017). "Kapiti expressway gets official completion date of February 16". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  3. Haxton, David (16 February 2017). "Mackays to Peka Peka Expressway north of Wellington opens". nzherald.co.nz (via Kapiti News). Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  4. Knell, Conor (21 December 2022). "New Peka Peka to Ōtaki expressway opens in time for Christmas exodus". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 23 December 2022 – via Stuff.
  5. "Kāpiti expressway needs $2.3m worth of repairs, just 18 months after opening". Fairfax New Zealand (via Stuff.co.nz). 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  6. "NZTA refuses to release information about damaged highways". Radio New Zealand (RNZ). 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  7. "Kapiti commuters to get new interchange as work starts on next stage of expressway". Stuff.co.nz). 7 July 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  8. "Plans scrapped for new Kāpiti expressway interchange at Peka Peka". Stuff.co.nz). 14 January 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  9. "Disappointment at Peka Peka interchange decision". Kāpiti Coast District Council). 25 January 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  10. "Finish our Road – Connect Kapiti". Finish our Road). 17 May 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  11. "Council backs call for Peka Peka interchange rethink". Otaki Today). 15 June 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  12. Hunt, Tom (30 March 2022). "Transmission Gully named after Ngāti Toa chief of Battle Hill fame". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 23 December 2022 – via Stuff.
  13. Galuszka, Jono (26 August 2020). "Ōtaki to north of Levin highway route avoids proposed Taraika subdivison [sic]". Stuff. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
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