Published 6/11/2024
Key water infrastructure project for the Wellington region completed
Today’s karakia ceremony for the Kaitoke Pipe Bridge marks the project’s completion and the official handover of the bridge to Greater Wellington Regional Council and the public.
This new steel arch pipe bridge replaces the old flume bridge, which supported a concrete flume to transport water. The pipe bridge safeguards the drinking water supply of our region, supplying up to 140 million litres per day of untreated water from the Kaitoke intake to the Te Mārua treatment plant, which on average supplies about half of the region’s daily water demand.
Greater Wellington councillor and Te Awa Kairangi Sub-Committee chair Ros Connelly says as well as securing the water supply, the pipe bridge will become a popular feature of Kaitoke Regional Park.
“The completion of the pipe bridge is a key milestone on our region’s journey to renewing critical water infrastructure assets. Engineered for seismic resilience, the bridge will protect park users and our water supply from earthquakes for decades to come,” Cr Connelly says.
“I’m pleased to officially reopen the Swingbridge Loop Track. I invite the public to visit Kaitoke Regional Park, to cross the pipe bridge and admire its engineering but also to enjoy the view of the beautiful Te Awa Kairangi and ponder the source of much of Wellington’s water.”
Wellington Water Group Manager Network Development and Delivery Susannah Cullen says it’s great seeing all the hard work come together.
“The Kaitoke Pipe Bridge has been almost five years in the making, from development through to completion. It’s a real engineering feat to construct a pipe bridge of this size at a location with many technical challenges, but the team pulled through and finished 5 months ahead of time.”
Susannah further explains how this new bridge increases the resilience of our water supply, “The bridge supports a 1.5m diameter ductile iron pipe, designed and manufactured in Japan and the largest of its type installed in the country. It’s been specifically designed to withstand significant earthquake events and ensure water flow to the downstream water treatment plant at Te Mārua.”
This $42-million project is part of Wellington Water and Greater Wellington’s work to improve the resilience of the Wellington metropolitan water supply along with other key projects including the Whakawhirinaki: Silverstream Bridge and the Te Mārua Water Treatment Plant Capacity Optimisation projects.
The ceremony was attended by Wellington Water staff and key project stakeholders including local mana whenua iwi Te Ātiawa, Greater Wellington, Upper Hutt City Council, elected officials, Brian Perry Civil, Stantec, Holmes Consulting, and other contractors involved in the project.
Editor notes
Wellington Water is owned and fully funded by Wellington City Council, Hutt City Council, Porirua City Council, and Upper Hutt City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council and South Wairarapa District Council. All six councils are equal shareholders.
Our councils own the water infrastructure in the region, and they task us to manage the infrastructure and deliver water services to our communities.
Wellington Water is governed by a Board of Directors. The Board and our organisation receive overall leadership and direction from the Wellington Water Committee, which are also responsible for appointing members to the Board.
The Wellington Water Committee is made up of representatives from our council owners and mana whenua.