Section of Transmission Gully closes for repairs, big pothole spotted

A section of Transmission Gully was closed this week for "spot repairs" just four months after the $1.25 billion motorway out of Wellington opened to traffic.

Last week one motorist encountered a pothole that he said "could have ripped the tyre clean off" his car.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advised motorists on Wednesday of crews on site to repair the carriageway surface on the 27km road.

There have been some "minor localised spot repairs" in four areas over the last few days, a Transmission Gully Project spokesperson said.

They said the total surface area that required maintenance work was very minor- just 0.1 per cent of the road.

"Monitoring of the road surface condition is regular and ongoing.

"The Transmission Gully Motorway is performing in line with expectations, especially given the extreme weather across the region in the last week."

Transmission Gully. Photo / Mark Tantrum

Last week wild weather slammed Wellington and grounded flights, flooded streets, and even ripped part of a wing mirror off a car.

There were several weather watches and warnings across the region, including heavy swells, severe rain, strong wind, and snowfall.

Local motorist Mark Mitchell said it was an extremely wet day when he was heading south on the road in the area of Battle Hill Farm Forest Park.

"All of a sudden something appeared right in the middle of the lane and I realised it was a very big pothole."

Mitchell said it was a "complete fluke" his wheels didn't strike the pothole, which he estimated to be about the size of a manhole cover.

"It could have done some extensive damage ... it could have ripped the tyre clean off probably.

"You wouldn't expect it with a road that's only four months old."

NZTA advised motorists on Wednesday of crews on site to repair the road's surface. Image / Waka Kotahi

Mitchell, who travels on the road five days a week, said it was the only problem he has encountered.

"Without a doubt Transmission Gully has been a game changer for those of us who are long-suffering commuters from the Kāpiti Coast.

"I can leave work in the evening and be home in 45 minutes in the worst weather - it's just a luxury we couldn't have dreamed of before."

Even before Transmission Gully opened, parts of it had to be ripped up for repairs having been plagued by flawed chip seal and water seeping through the road's surface.

This was on top of years of delays, testy settlement negotiations, and budget blowouts.

When it did open at the end of March, some motorists were left with cracked and chipped windscreens due to loose chip.

Meanwhile, a police car that created a piece of embarrassing history on the road's opening day has been donated to Kāpiti's Southward Car Museum.

The car got stuck in a gravel arrestor bed, designed to stop runaway vehicles, on the first day the new motorway opened; driver error was given as the reason.

Transmission Gully. Photo / David Haxton

A police spokesperson confirmed at the time the new safety feature of the road was indeed "very effective".

Transmission Gully has been built through a public-private partnership (PPP), the Wellington Gateway Partnership (WGP), with CPB Contractors and HEB Construction subcontracted to carry out the design and construction.

A company called Ventia has also been subcontracted to operate and maintain the motorway for 25 years after it's completed.

Parties are still negotiating the impact last year's Delta variant outbreak had on construction.

The PPP agreement includes a contractual process to determine the impacts of Covid-19 restrictions and entitlement to relief.

Waka Kotahi transport services general manager Brett Gliddon said partners were still working under this process on an ongoing basis to assess the impacts of any claims.

"These are complex negotiations and because of their commercial nature Waka Kotahi is not able to comment further."