Drone footage shows the completed Transmission Gully ahead of it opening this week.
Video / Mark Tantrum
OPINION:
The only thing I will miss about the old State Highway 1 out of Wellington is the beautiful coastal views. Other than that I am more than happy to say goodbye to that road and hello to Transmission Gully.
I won't miss the car crashes, the landslips after badweather, the terrible traffic congestion on a long weekend, or the thought Wellington would be cut off when a big earthquake happens.
The narrow road that snakes around the likes of Pukerua Bay and Paekākāriki up Kāpiti Coast has not been fit for purpose for some time.
When I was a kid growing up in Wellington, my grandparents lived in Waikanae and I have painful memories of sitting in the back seat with my sister stuck in crawling traffic on our way to visit them.
When I moved back to Wellington as an adult six years ago, I remember embarking on the drive to Napier for the first time to visit my parents there. Getting up to Hawke's Bay was actually okay but the return trip was an absolute nightmare, with traffic creeping along at glacial pace from Ōtaki.
Ever since that trip, I have avoided the old State Highway 1 completely and instead have chosen to travel through the Wairarapa on my regular trips up north.
Just last week, motorists were advised the old State Highway 1 was partially blocked near Paekākāriki while emergency services responded to a crash involving three vehicles.
Initial reports suggested one person was injured and motorists were advised to avoid the area and expect delays.
In January, a man died after his car flipped on the road north of Pukerua Bay. He is one of the many people who have lost their lives on this stretch.
The road is called State Highway 59 now. It was renamed at the end of last year in anticipation of Transmission Gully opening.
An impressive amount of stabilisation work that has gone into making Transmission Gully resilient in the event of an earthquake. Photo / Mark Tantrum
Transmission Gully will be the new State Highway 1. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has instructed the contractor to open the road to traffic by the end of the month, which means by tomorrow at the latest.
Transmission Gully will be safer and more reliable than the old State Highway 1. It will also be better able to resist and recover from earthquakes and storms.
I've lost count of how many times the coastal road has been affected by bad weather.
On one side, rocks and earth from the hills often slip down. On the other, debris is thrown up by the sea when it's wild enough.
The thought of such a vulnerable road being a key route in and out of Wellington in a big earthquake is frightening. In other words, it would more than likely be unable to function as a route at all.
The amount of stabilisation work that has gone into making Transmission Gully resilient in an earthquake is impressive and is enough to make any owner of a commercial building in Wellington envious.
Stabilisation bolts drilled into the cut faces around the road are up to 8.5 metres deep.
Transmission Gully is expected to open this week. Photo / Mark Tantrum
More than 22,700sq m of specialised concrete has been poured to stabilise the slopes, which is the equivalent to the area of about three rugby fields.
If all the strengthening rock-bolts and drainage tubes installed deep into the rock were laid end-on-end, they'd stretch about 43km – the distance from Wellington City to Paekākāriki.
Meanwhile, Te Ara a Toa bridge, which is the largest single structure along the 27km motorway, can withstand a one-in-2500-year earthquake.
Traffic travelling in different directions will be fully separated by median barriers, there are interchanges rather than intersections, and no walking or cycling is allowed.
I've been lucky enough to visit the Transmission Gully site during construction and for all the criticism the road has received, there is no denying it is a significant engineering feat.
The Wainui Saddle is particularly impressive and made me feel like an ant, with the giant cut slopes rising above the road.
The road will also provide an important commuter connection into Wellington as well as a hopefully more enjoyable road trip for holidaymakers.
So no, I won't miss what is now known as State Highway 59 and if you are pining for the scenery of that old route, I would recommend taking the train anyway.
• Senior Wellington journalist Georgina Campbell's fortnightly column looks closely at issues in the capital.
