“Interest in the project is extremely high, with 370 people turning up to meet the team and see the progress at our Open Day recently, followed by a visit by the Minister of Transport, Chris Bishop, who declared the project ‘amazing’ and said he couldn’t wait to see it open.
“With 11 culverts now complete (out of 19), 72% of the utility work finished and over 163,000 hours of machinery work under our belt, we’re heading into the winter months in a strong position to continue to build our structures,” Coalter said.
Piling works at 15th Ave. Photo / Supplied
Six bridges are currently under construction.
NZTA said while earthworks would wind down for the cooler months, the site would still be a hive of activity, keeping the 275 people working on the project “very busy”.
“We’ve commenced trials for the first section of pavements at Te Mete, and we’ve already got 2km of drainage in, so it’s all happening both above the ground and below,” Coalter said.
“And as the seasons turn, the 2025 planting season will see 164,000 plants go in the ground, adding to the 70,000 already in, so there’s heaps to look forward to.”
Fast facts
275 people are currently working on the project
More than 2478 people have been inducted and have worked on various aspects of the project to date
Over 22.5 million hours have been worked since the project started
90 subcontractor staff have been engaged, with half of those local businesses
Four bridges have been built and six are under construction
2.3 million cubic metres of dirt has been moved (of a total 3 million cubic metres)
There are 8.84km of piles on the project, with 96% complete
800,000 linear metres of wick drains have been installed to reduce settlement time
70,000 plants are in the ground of more than 900,000 required in total
11 out of 19 culverts have been completed
2km of network drainage has been installed out of 13km
Utility work is 72% complete (includes power, gas, fibre, telecommunications, water, sewer)
Total machine hours are 163,149 (up until the end of March)
35 dump trucks, 10 bulldozers and 20 excavators are on-site
The first section of pavement trials at Te Mete has begun
