New Melling interchange and bridge to cost taxpayers $740 million

Monday, 23 June 2025

Melling’s new State Highway 2 interchange and its accompanying bridge to cross Te Awa Kairangi Hutt River will cost taxpayers more than $740 million.

The figure is part of the Government’s $1 billion share in the $1.5b RiverLink Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi project in Lower Hutt. Officials from NZ Transport Agency (NZTA)/Waka Kotahi inked final project agreements with contractors AECOM-Fletcher in April and construction is due to start later this year.

A potential look of the new City Link Bridge between the relocated Melling Station and Lower Hutt city centre, built by the Hutt City Council as part of the RiverLink project.

Out of the $1b Crown funding, $742 million goes towards constructing the new Melling Interchange, demolishing the current Melling Link bridge, building its replacement, and improved walking and cycling infrastructure, according to recently released figures under the Official Information Act (OIA).

The new interchange, replacing the current SH2 intersection that is used by more than 40,000 vehicles each day, is expected to be completed in 2031 and the old bridge demolished in 2032.

About another $1m is to be spent on refurbishing the asbestos-ridden Melling Station building and moving it 300 metres south to make way for the new SH2 interchange. The rest is allocated to property purchases, managed costs like staffing and pre-contract costs such as procurement and consenting.

An artist’s impression of how the new City Link Bridge, between the relocated Melling Station and Lower Hutt city centre, could look.

The Post previously reported the Greater Wellington Regional Council wanted the Melling station building demolished but ran out of time to include it into RiverLink’s blueprint.

NZTA’s infrastructure delivery regional manager Jetesh Bhula said while knocking down the existing station building could cost about $100,000, that did not account for additional costs to build a new station and go through the process for a new resource consent.

The Government would also be covering one-third to half the cost of the new City Link footbridge linking the relocated Melling Station and Lower Hutt city centre through its Infrastructure Acceleration Fund. The Hutt City Council, responsible for $180m of RiverLink, was responsible for funding the rest of the footbridge and building it.

The regional council, responsible for $295m of the project’s cost, has already spent $178m on RiverLink’s flood protection components, including $111m to buy up 125 properties.

NZTA officials previously said it shaved off $200m of costs by using a “half clover” instead of a diamond-shaped design for the Melling Interchange, which uses fewer retaining walls.

Melling Station will be closed for three years starting December 2025 or January 2026 as the new interchange is being built, but the Melling Line will terminate at Western Hutt station during construction.

The regional council said bus routes 145 and 149 from the western hills of the Hutt Valley would be re-routed or extended to Waterloo station.

Correction: The Government is paying for one-third to half of the new City Link footbridge, with the rest funded by the Hutt City Council. An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the Government would pay for the bridge. (Amended June 23, 2025 at 1.52pm)