Barber Grove to Seaview Wastewater Pipe Duplication Project

As the project nears completion, our contractors will be undertaking works to resurface and reinstate a section of Randwick Road.

The work is undertaken at night as this is safer for work crews and road users and will avoid significant traffic congestion during the day.

What to expect
 There will be unavoidable noise from trucks and machinery, our team will limit disruption as much as possible.
 Our crews need lights to progress reinstatement work, so you may experience extra light in the area.
 Access to driveways will be maintained and managed by the team.
 Traffic will be able to travel in both directions on Randwick Road but will need to share a single lane close to the intersection with Barber Grove. This will be managed by traffic controllers during the night works.
 The width of the road is reduced, please use an alternative route for wide vehicles and be careful when driving in the area.

The Lightwing was dismantled and moved in April 2022 to enable trenchless technology and the duplication of a new wastewater pipeline from the Barber Grove Pump station to Randwick Road and Seaview Road. Works were recently completed with commissioning of the 1.2km long pipeline.

Welcome back Lightwing!

The project is now entering the home straight with the reopening of Elizabeth Street at the end of next week.

We are continuing to resurface and reinstate the remainder of Randwick Road. This work will be undertaken during the day.

The resurfacing and reinstatement of Hutt Park and the carpark is expected to be completed in the next two weeks.

From early September, the team will reinstall the Lightwing sculpture and the lights in the middle of the Randwick roundabout. This work is expected to be completed by Friday 8 September (weather depending).

There is additional works at the pump station on Barber Grove, while the equipment is still onsite. This will be completed mid-September

The project is nearing completion with resurfacing and reinstatement of a section of Randwick Road this week.

Night works are due on Monday, 28 August from 7pm to 5am (weather depending) with a contingency date for Tuesday, 29 August, if weather requires it.

We are undertaking this work at night as this is safer for both our work crews and road users and will avoid significant congestion during the day.

The work required involves sealing and paving the road. This is likely to be noisy for those living nearby. We are mindful that this is not ideal, and we apologise in advance. The aim is to carry out the noisiest work early in the shift.

What to expect

• There will be unavoidable noise from trucks and machinery, our team will limit disruption as much as possible.
• Our crews need lights to progress reinstatement work, so you may experience extra light in the area.
• Access to driveways will be maintained and managed by the team.
• Traffic will be able to travel in both directions on Randwick Road but will need to share a single lane close to the intersection with Barber Grove. This will be managed by traffic controllers during the night works.
• The width of the road is reduced, please use an alternative route for wide vehicles and be careful when driving in the area.

We're almost there, to make the Hutt Valley wastewater network more resilient and minimise the risk of network overflows entering the environment.

If you’re in the area during August, you’ll notice us in and around manholes completing checks.

In terms of progress, all works at the Pirie Crescent intersection are completed.

We aim to have Pirie Crescent fully open to the public by the end of the month (weather depending).

On behalf of the team, thank you again for your understanding and patience, this has been a huge project.

Wellington Water was delighted to welcome Mayor Barry and Mayor Guppy onsite to celebrate the completed installation of the new 1.2km wastewater duplication pipeline. 

Mayor Barry said, “The 18 months spent delivering this project will build decades of resilience for our wastewater networks. This section of pipe carries 90% of the Hutt Valley’s wastewater, and ensuring it is fit for the future is incredibly important.

“This is investment in core infrastructure in action. It will help support the growth we are experiencing in the Hutt Valley and protect our environment and people."

Upper Hutt City Council Mayor Wayne Guppy added, “We are pleased to be delivering state of the art infrastructure to our region.”

The pipeline completion was celebrated with a karakia and planting of trees along the banks of the Waiwhetū Stream. The new duplication pipe is to be commissioned this month (August).

L/R:  Mayor Wayne Guppy, Mayor Campbell Barry, Nick Leggett (Wellington Water Board Chair) and Tonia Haskell (Wellington Water CEO)

Our crews will be resurfacing and lane marking the last section of Seaview Road, the northern section outside the cemetery. 

The night works will take place from 7pm to 5.30am Sunday, July 9.

During this period, the southbound lane of Seaview Rd will be closed. Please use the detour via Port Road.

Northbound traffic is unaffected.

 The southbound lane of Seaview Rd will be reopened from 5.30am on Monday July 10.

Night works, July 9

Our crews will be resurfacing and lane marking the last section of Seaview Road, the northern section outside the cemetery. 

The night works will take place from 7pm to 5.30am Monday, July 3.

During this period, the southbound lane of Seaview Rd will be closed. Please use the detour via Port Road.

Northbound traffic is unaffected.

 The southbound lane of Seaview Rd will be reopened from 5.30am on Tuesday July 4.

Seaview Road 'night works'

Our contractors are undertaking resurfacing and reinstatement in Barber Grove.

The traffic management in place means: 

• Barber Grove will be open in both directions, but you will need to share a single lane. Traffic flow will be controlled by contractors during our working hours and traffic lights outside our working hours.
• We will try to keep traffic flow to a minimum – prepare for delays. Please plan and allow extra time when travelling during this period.
• The hours of work will generally be 7am – 5:30pm Monday to Friday, with some Saturday work as required.
• This temporary traffic arrangement will be in place until Thursday, July 13.

On behalf of Hutt City Council, we thank you again for your patience and co-operation, as this key infrastructure project nears completion. 

As the project nears completion, our contractors are going to be undertaking night works in Barber Grove with the installation of new pipe connections to the Barber Grove pump station.

We are undertaking the work at night due to the lower volumes of wastewater passing through the pump station - this reduces the risk to our people and the environment.

When is this happening?

• Monday 19 June between 3pm and 10pm (trial)
• Tuesday, 20 June to Wednesday 21 June between 3pm -5am. 
• This is weather dependent and subject to change

What to expect

There will be noise from trucks and machinery which enter and leave Barber Grove. We acknowledge this may be disruptive for some residents and we will do all we can to minimise and limit any unnecessary noise.

• From Monday, June 12, the southbound lane of Seaview Road will be closed from 7pm to 5.30am.
• Please use the detour via Port Road - Northbound traffic remains open
• This is night works only. Both sides of Seaview Road (northbound and southbound) will be open during the day from 5.30am until 7pm.
• From 5.30am this Friday June 16, Seaview Road will reopen to two lanes of traffic.
• There will be a small section on the eastbound lane opposite the cemetery that will be completed later this month.

 Thank you again for your patience and co-operation. We’ll keep you updated as works progress.

As the project reaches completion, there will be landscaping and reinstalling of the Lightwing Sculpture within the Randwick Road roundabout, but these activities will not impact traffic. Tunnelling and underground pipe work involves a lot of variables which the project team has navigated well, unfortunately there are onsite construction conditions out of our control. All lanes on Seaview Road are now open.

Overall, Te Rū has tunnelled a total of 596 metres under Randwick Road between the Seaview Roundabout and Barber Grove.

Kai pai to the team for a huge effort working towards this great achievement through the Easter break. This was the first time Wellington Water has used this technology and the project team are thrilled with how well the record-breaking tunneller performed.

 Te Rū has been lifted out of the shaft within the Randwick Road roundabout and is now enjoying some relaxation time in the yard ahead of her next adventure!

The wider project is in the home straight now with the remainder open trenching works along Randwick Road and down Barber Grove.

Easter 2023 -Breakthrough! The project team salute the final tunnelling drive

The signposted detour via Barnes Street and Port Road has been removed. Thanks for your patience over the last five weeks as our team have worked hard installing the pipe across Seaview Road. 

A temporary seal will be in place, and our project team will return once all works are completed across the project footprint to carry out final surfacing works. The project team are still working to the side of Seaview Road so please take care when travelling through the area.

Our works on Seaview Road continue, and the signposted detour for all northbound traffic via Barnes Street remains in place over the Easter break. Thanks for your patience and we will provide a further update on the expected completion date next week.

Southbound traffic has been directed across to the opposite side of Seaview Road. The team are now working on a section of the northbound lane next to the Urupa (please note that access to the Urupa remains open from the south). The signposted detour for all northbound traffic via Barnes Street remains in place. We will provide a further update ahead of reinstatement of two-way traffic on Seaview Road

Seaview Road traffic management FAQS

As part of our work to improve the Hutt Valley's wastewater network resilience, we are duplicating a section of pipe from Barber Grove, down Randwick Road, to the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant. During March there will be detour in place for northbound traffic (Petone bound) as works are carried out in Seaview Road. This work is expected to be completed in four weeks.

Why can’t you do the works in off-peak times?
Doing works in off-peak hours would not change the detour route or decrease any congestion. The sizable trench we’ve constructed in the middle of Seaview Road means we can’t have two lanes of traffic move through the site. We investigated alternative construction methodologies that would allow the work to be undertaken without having to install the one-way system on Seaview Road. Due to the amount of network service cables, open trenching is the most suitable method to carry out the work safely.

Why not open both lanes when construction activity is not taking place?
Because of the depth of the trench, if the construction team had to backfill the hole and reinstate the road this would add considerably to the project timeline.  

Why don’t you change the direction of traffic that can use the lane based on peak-hour needs?
Changing the direction of traffic between peak periods would cause further congestion (and confusion) across the wider traffic network due to the time it takes to re-route the traffic when changing the detour. The traffic management is in place for the safety of commuters and the construction team.

The traffic management favours Eastbourne commuters over Wainuiomata
The main route for Eastbourne residents to/from Petone and Wellington is via Seaview Road. Wainuiomata residents travel on a main route via Wainuiomata Road/Wainui Road towards Petone. The detour is in place for those travelling from the most direct location, in this instance, capturing those in Eastbourne. Encouraging all commuters to use a less direct route would create congestion across the wider network.

After assessing traffic flows, closing access from the Randwick Road Roundabout (southbound) and prioritising Northbound traffic increases the risk of queues spilling onto the already congested Petone Esplanade. Historical evidence shows this increases commuter tailback running back to SH2.

Why can’t you start work after 9am?
Starting after 9am will not change the detour route or decrease any congestion. The sizable trench within the middle of the road does not allow two lanes of traffic to move through the site.  Starting later would just extend the length of the project. 

Why not do it at night?
Working at night would breach noise consent requirements. Night works would not change the detour route.

Why does the detour go through Port Road - also have a Stop/Go at the same time?
There is no Stop/Go on Port Road. Temporary judder bars previously in place were part of a separate traffic management plan/project not related to the Barber Grove project. Our contractors liaised with the Port Road contractor and the judder bars were removed on March 7.

Surely, it’s better to change the direction of the road that is open - so in the morning it lets commuter traffic go- and then in the evening it’s reversed for commuters.
Changing the direction of traffic between peak periods would cause further congestion (and create confusion) across the wider traffic network, due to the time it takes to re-route traffic while changing a signposted detour.

The project team are gearing up to do remaining pipe connection works, which requires changes to the traffic on a section of Seaview Road.

 From 10pm next Sunday (5 March), for up to four weeks, Seaview Road, between the Randwick Road roundabout and the Parkside Road roundabout will be closed to northbound traffic (Petone bound), a signposted detour will be in place via Barnes Street.

 Business access on Seaview Road will be available and maintained throughout the closure. Southbound traffic travelling towards Eastbourne remains on Seaview Road.

 We acknowledge these works will be an inconvenience to commuters, residents, and businesses, please be patient, and plan for delays. This work is essential and will increase the resilience and performance of the local wastewater network.

 Works are generally between 7am – 5:30pm Monday to Friday, with some Saturday work as required - this is dependent on weather and onsite construction conditions.

• Seaview Road: From 7pm, Monday 6 February 2023, we will be reinstating the previously communicated lane closure (21 November 2022) on the southbound side of Seaview Road. The road will be reduced to one lane on each side from 8 Seaview Road through to the Z Seaview petrol station just before the Seaview roundabout. This was removed earlier in January 2023, however we now need to reinstall it to complete the section of works around the stream.

• Hutt Park Road: From 7pm, Monday 6 February 2023, a stop/go setup will be in place on a section of Hutt Park Road within the Hutt Park complex. The traffic management differs from the originally communicated priority give-way setup (24 November 2022). Please follow all onsite signage and travel under the instruction of our crews.

A set of temporary traffic lights will be in place on Randwick Road just south of the pedestrian crossing outside Randwick School.

The lights on Randwick Road will only activate when traffic needs to exit left onto Randwick Road from Barber Grove.  There is no change to traffic turning into Barber Grove from Randwick Road. Northbound traffic on Randwick Road remains unaffected.

These traffic lights will continue outside of our scheduled working hours and be in place until late March 2023. Please be alert to changes in the traffic management, follow all on-site signage and drive to the conditions.

New traffic lights on Randwick Road until March 2023

Check out the latest edition of the project newsletter

Barber Grove Newsletter Update

Due to weather, staff sickness, and unforeseen construction conditions, this project is behind schedule and is now due to be completed in mid-2023.

Te Rū Tiokaoka has completed its second drive on Randwick Road.  The Team is now preparing for the launch of the third and final drive between the Seaview Roundabout and Pirie Crescent.

Existing traffic management on Randwick Road remains in place and vehicles will move through site via a slightly altered traffic management set. This setup will be in place until mid-2023.

Our crew have started constructing a trench on Seaview Road. This follows recent work we've done within the Awamutu and Waiwhetū Streams to install a new pipe under the waterways. It is now time to connect this new wastewater pipe to the pipe we installed earlier this year on Seaview Road.

We’ll do it in sections, starting south of the overbridge, working our way down towards the Seaview Z Petrol Station.

Work will involve sheet piling and there’ll be a big digger onsite to complete the work. If your business is close to the works, we’ll be in touch and assist with any signage.

The new traffic management means:

• A lane closure on the southbound side of Seaview Road from Monday 21 November.

• The road will be reduced to one lane on each side from 8 Seaview Road through to the Z Petrol Station just before the Seaview roundabout.

• Please follow all onsite signage and take care with merging.

• The existing bus stop will be temporarily relocated to the south of the site. Cyclists and pedestrians will be escorted through site. There is no change to the Urupa carpark access.

• Traffic management will be in place until late March 2023. The hours of work will generally be 7am – 6:30pm Monday to Friday, with some Saturday work as required.

We appreciate your patience while we carry out this important work to increase the resilience and performance of the wastewater network in your area

We have reached a significant project milestone with Te Rū Tiokaoka, the micro tunnel boring machine, completing the first of three tunnel drives after emerging at Barber Grove.

This is the shortest of the planned three drives, travelling 160m along Randwick Road starting at Elizabeth Street.

Breakthrough! Te Rū Tiokaoka, has completed its first drive on Randwick Road

Te Rū Tiokaoka, is 30% through its journey to drill a new duplication pipe from Randwick Road to the Seaview roundabout. The project team will now reinstall the micro tunnel borer at the Elizabeth Street shaft ready for its’s next drive south towards Pirie Crescent.

Avoiding obstacles, the tunnel borer can move up to 11 metres per day, and install up to four 2.6-metre-long pipes!

Since March we've done this...

• Constructed three shafts at Barber Grove, Elizabeth Street and Pirie Crescent. These shafts are where the tunnel boring machine is lowered into and tunnels under Randwick Road. Each shaft involved large digouts, sheet piling, welding, and pouring a concrete slab at the bottom.
  
  
• A circular framework has been installed within the middle of the Randwick Road roundabout to assist the installation of sheet piles for a further shaft. Sheet piles are driven into the ground and interlocked to form a wall that stops earth and water from entering the excavation.
  
  
• A new sewer lateral diversion on Seaview Road.
  
  
• 220 metres of new PE pipe (3m deep) has been constructed on Seaview Road (see image on right)– the trench has now been backfilled and new kerbs installed.
  
  
• New maintenance chambers at the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant.
  
  
• Set-up and commissioning of the large green separation plant at Elizabeth Street that runs the mTBM - Te Rū Tiokaoka arrived in August.
  
  
• The first tunnel drive from the Elizabeth Street launch shaft north towards Barber Grove is complete with installation of 162 metres of new concrete pipe in Randwick Road.
  
  
• Investigation works and vegetation removal outside the Barber Grove pumpstation in preparation for a new trench.
  
  
• Open trench construction under the Hutt Park Road carpark – we are now preparing to locate the existing sleeves to install a new pipe inside across both the Awamutu and Waiwhetū streams.

The team have completed the installation of 220m of new pipe. The traffic management on Seaview Road, Gough Street and Parkside Road has now been removed – this includes the turning restrictions at the Gough Street/Seaview Road intersection.

Please take care moving through the area as everyone familiarises themselves with the layout.

Seaview Road easement has been completed with lane restrictions lifted

The next phase of the project is underway, as we move closer towards the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant.

This means open trench construction is required under Hutt Park Road Car Park.

As a result, parking spaces will be reduced from Monday, September 5 through to late November.

For recreational users and the Hutt Park complex we apologise for any inconvenience this is likely to cause. The Team will do all they can to fast track this necessary work to reinstate the normal parking options.

Please be aware that cyclists and pedestrians who normally commute through the carpark will be redirected via onsite signage.

Our hours of work will generally be 7am – 5.30pm Monday to Friday, with some Saturday work as required.

Kaanihi Butler Hare from Te Āti Awa (centre) was special guest on site recently providing a Karakia and Kawa. 

Te Rū Tiokaoka is in the ground and ready for its latest journey along Randwick Road to the Seaview Roundabout.

This is the first time Wellington Water has used this technology and the project team are thrilled to have this record breaking tunneller in town! 

You can keep up to date with Te Rū Tiokaoka's progress on our Facebook page. 

Te Rū Tiokaoka being placed into the ground on Randwick Street

As we gear up for the next phase of the project, Wellington Water is excited to welcome a state-of-the-art micro tunnel boring machine (MTBM) to Wellington!

Local iwi has given the machine their blessing and named it Te Rū Tiokaoka as this acknowledges the vibrating motion it will make tunnelling through the land.

Te Rū Tiokaoka will travel 600 metres underground drilling a new duplication pipe along Randwick Road to the Seaview roundabout. Here are some other cool facts:

• It is 3 metres long x 1.3m high (diameter)
• It weighs: 7.8 tonnes - about the same weight as 11 cows
• It moves at 10 metres per day
• It can go 9 metres deep
• On its last project, it tunnelled from the West Coast and was retrieved in the middle of the ocean!

Kaanihi Butler Hare, from Te Āti Awa, and project lead Linda Fairbrother (Wellington Water) welcome the MTBM at McConnell Dowell’s Wellington yard

Keeping our crews safe while they work is paramount, so from Wednesday 7 July in the evening, access to Pirie Crescent from and to Randwick Road will be closed.

• This extended traffic management is expected to be in place until January 2023
• Diversion routes will be in place to access Pirie Crescent. See the route options on the map (below). 
• Access to driveways will be maintained and managed by the team.
• The width of the road is reduced, please use an alternative route for wide vehicles and be careful when driving in the area.
• The hours of work will generally be 7am – 5:30pm Monday to Friday, with some Saturday work as required.
• We will try our best to minimise the impact on traffic, but please plan ahead and allow extra time for delays.

Traffic management plan

From Sunday 3 July, we are reopening both lanes on Gough Street and a section of the road on Seaview Road.  During this next stage of work: 

• Access to driveways will be maintained and managed by the team.
• Please plan ahead and allow extra time when travelling during this period.
• Where the width of road is reduced, please use an alternative route for wide vehicles and be careful when driving in the area.
• The hours of work will generally be 7am – 5:30pm Monday to Friday, with some Saturday work as required.

New traffic management plan

From Wednesday 1 June, there is new traffic management on Seaview Road, Gough Street and Parkside Road. This is expected to be in place for up four weeks.

These streets will be managed by traffic controllers during our working hours. Outside our working hours it will be managed by traffic lights.

Traffic can travel in both directions on Gough Street but will need to share a single lane. Traffic flow will be controlled by traffic controllers or traffic lights.

New traffic management plan

We will try to keep the impact on traffic flow to a minimum but please do expect delays. Please plan and allow extra time when travelling during this period.

The hours of work will generally be 7am – 5:30pm Monday to Friday, with some Saturday work as required.

Randwick Road update

-  The piling works are completed for the Elizabeth Street launch pit, the team is now excavating and building the pit to get ready to start the tunnelling works in late June.

-  Construction of the Barber Grove retrieval pit starts Thursday, 19 May. Works will start with driving the sheet piles underground.

Welders on-site strengthen the pit wall to enable further excavation

There is a strong focus with on-site health and safety (H&S). A recent visit by Wellington Water H&S checked on hazards and risks and witnessed the latest developments with pipe placement on Randwick Road.

Seaview Road update - The first 48 metres of the new pipe has been installed, and we are now making our way towards the intersection at Gough Street.

We are making progress on construction of a new wastewater pipe at Randwick Street with the excavation of a second pit for our Micro Tunnel Boring Machine.

To enable this activity, there will be new traffic management in place on a section of Randwick Road, close to Barber Grove from Wednesday, May 11.

This is a necessary step as we move to a new phase of the project to reduce the risk of wastewater entering Te Awa Kairangi and the Waiwhetu stream - in the event of an earthquake.

Please note the traffic management will be in place until December 2022.

The hours of work will generally be 7am – 5:30pm Monday to Friday, with some Saturday work as required. Because the width of the road will be reduced, if you can, please use an alternative route (particularly wide vehicles) and be careful when driving in the area.

New traffic management plan

As part of the Barber Grove to Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant Pipe Duplication Project, on Sunday 20 March we are installing traffic management on a section of Randwick Road opposite Elizabeth Street as shown on the map below.

This is so we can start constructing the launch pit for the Micro Tunnel Boring Machine (MTBM).

The traffic management will be in place until December 2022. Hours of work will generally be 7am – 5:30pm Monday to Friday, with some Saturday work as required.

The width of the road will be reduced, please use an alternative route for wide vehicles and be careful when driving in the area.

Vibrations and noise are to be expected during the work, please contact us if you have any questions or concerns:

Jake Braithwaite
Project Manager – McConnell Dowell
info@wellingtonwater.co.nz 
0508 623 266

We will also strictly abide by the required health and safety protocols directed by government under the relevant Covid-19 Alert Level.

On behalf of Wellington Water and Hutt City Council, we thank you for your patience while we carry out this important work to increase the resilience and performance of the wastewater network in your area.

On Sunday 6 March we will be extending the traffic management from the current setup outside the cemetery on Seaview Road to the intersection of Gough Street and Seaview Road. This will be in place for about two months.

This means the road will be reduced to one lane on each side of the road (one Southbound lane and one Northbound lane) from the cemetery to the roundabout located next to Gough Street. Due to the width of this traffic layout, Seaview road will not be suitable for wide vehicles. There is a detour via Port Road.

Vibrations and noise are to be expected during the work, please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

As part of our work to improve our wastewater resilience, we are duplicating a section of pipe from Barber Grove, down the middle of Randwick Road, to the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant.

We’re starting work this Monday and installing traffic management on Seaview Road, outside the cemetery. Part of the two lane road heading towards the roundabout will be decreased to one lane. Have a look at the red arrow below.

While we’ll try our best not to cause congestion, this part of the project requires us dig a trench to install the new pipe. To do this we need to make the site safe with traffic management, which will add to your commute. So, if you can, please avoid driving in the area and look at alternative routes or travel options. ‍

Our timeline of work is:

Drilling work will start on 26 August and continue through to 6 September.

Phase 2 of the investigations will commence 18 July and continue through 2 August.

Utility survey works are now planned to start this Sunday 9 June.

We will soon be getting under way with investigation work for the Main Collecting Sewer from Barber Grove to the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant, Lower Hutt.

We will be drilling and digging holes, surveying and taking soil and water samples along Barber Grove, Randwick Road and Seaview Road prior to the main construction works currently scheduled to commence in January 2021.

This investigation work will take about four weeks from 26 May to 21 June. Hours of work will generally be:

• 7pm-5am 26 May to 6 June (Sunday-Thursday)
• 8am-5pm 9 June – 21 June (Sunday-Friday) with some traffic management outside these hours

Work areas will be fenced off, and it is not expected that traffic flows or access to property will be significantly disrupted. We will be returning to the site for more investigations work in August 2019 and will advise of these works ahead of time again.

On-street parking in the area alongside the worksite may be restricted, and we ask you to please not park your vehicle within the coned areas. This will help us get our work done as quickly as possible.

McConnell Dowell was recently contracted to complete additional investigations, advise on constructability issues and help finalise design of the Barber Grove Pump Station to Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant Pipeline Duplication project.

The various investigation works are currently scheduled to take place between February - May 2021 with workers periodically on site. Notice will be given to residents and businesses directly affected by the works before each investigation begins.

Construction of the project is expected to begin mid-to-late 2021. Further information will be provided once investigations are complete and the design is finalised.