NZTA approves funding for shared walkway and cycleway between Petone and Ngauranga

Friday, 12 April 2019

A shared pathway between Ngauranga and Petone has received funding. First published April 2019.

A five-metre-wide walkway and cycleway between Petone and Ngauranga will feature a sea wall to protect the coastline from erosion and damaging storm surges.

Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter revealed the new plan for the shared pathway while announcing the project had received funding approval from the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).

The Ngauranga-to-Petone section, which is expected to cost between $76 million and $94m, will form part of the Great Harbour Way around Wellington Harbour between Owhiro Bay and Eastbourne.

The New Zealand Transport Agency has approved funding for a shared cycleway and walkway between Ngauranga and Petone.

It will connect with the existing cycleway between Ngauranga and the Wellington CBD, with a further section planned to the north from Petone to Melling.

**READ MORE:

The five-metre-wide seaside path will cost up to $94 million and will involve reclaiming land.

* Eastbourne cycleway going nowhere fast

* Broken glass, black eyes and mishaps for cyclists

A sea wall will be built to protect the adjacent State Highway 2 and railway line.

* Wellington's poor cycling infrastructure is killing people

* NZTA to build Petone-Wellington cycleway**

The original design was for a three-metre path, but that has been extended to five metres.

Designs for the pathway have yet to be finalised, but the seaside track - which will run alongside the railway line - will include a sea wall to protect the line and the adjacent State Highway 2.

The roughly six-kilometre track would require land reclamation, and the track would also be used as an alternative route for emergency services vehicles if the highway became blocked, Genter said.

The pathway will form part of the Great Harbour Way, connecting to the existing cycleway between Ngauranga and the Wellington CDB.

'It will open up a part of the coastline that has been locked off for too long. Right now, anyone walking or cycling this route is forced to use a narrow, uneven path, or ride along the edge of SH2. That's unacceptable.

'A five-metre-wide shared path will give a safe, dedicated route for people to walk, cycle, or scooter between our two biggest centres.'

Cyclist Rob Beernink said the current state highway route was like 'taking your life in your hands'.

NZTA director of regional relationships Emma Speight said the track was originally planned to be three metres' wide, but the proposed five-metre path would provide a higher-standard walking and cycling facility.

'The agency is currently refining the design for the path, including its recreational, ecological, and landscape features, and special consideration is being given to how to provide access to the coastal edge after decades of being inaccessible.

'Other considerations are providing seabird habitat, coastal planting, and areas to allow for recreation and appreciation of the coastline.'

Resource consent for the project would be applied for late this year or early next year, with the process expected to take up to two years, Speight said.

The agency would seek community feedback before lodging its application.

Cyclist Ron Beernink, who rides between Petone and the Wellington CBD almost every day, said the current highway route was like 'taking your life in your hands'.

'As a confident cyclist, I sort of feel confident enough to do it, but actually when I come home in the evening, for example, and there's less traffic on the roads and everybody goes faster, I hate it. It's just so dangerous.'

Beernink is a member of the Hutt Cycling Network and a trustee of the Great Harbour Way Trust. Until recently, he was also chairmanof advocacy group Cycle Aware Wellington.

'We've worked with NZTA for years now to try and address those issues. And actually we've made good progress. They're building some improvements right now - interim improvements - while waiting for the seaside path. But the path is what everybody is waiting for.'

The new route would benefit cyclists, pedestrians, fishers, scooter riders and other recreational users, Beernink said.

It would also encourage people to do day trips between the two centres, while the sea wall would create a safer environment for wildlife.