NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi

We continue to make good progress building the new two-lane roundabout at the intersection of State Highways 1 and 29 in Piarere. Roadworkers have installed two underpass structures on the SH1 and SH29 approaches and are about to begin paving on the roundabout. Meanwhile, they're continuing with construction on the southern side where the Tīrau approach road is being built. While this work is underway we've moved the route south of the roundabout onto a bypass road adjacent to SH1. We expect this arrangement to be in place until late September 2024, after which we'll open the roundabout to you with two legs operational while work continues on the third. Once we've finished the roundabout it'll improve efficiency, connectivity, and safety on this very important high-volume route. The roundabout will also allow connection with the future expressway between Cambridge and Piarere. We're on track to finish building the roundabout in mid-late 2025. You can keep up to date with our work on the roundabout by signing up to our email newsletter. Visit our website to sign up, and to find out more about the project: https://lnkd.in/gBkbcvaK

We’ve just successfully prosecuted a former vehicle inspector for dishonestly accessing the Motor Vehicle Register (MVR) and issuing fraudulent warrants of fitness. Between September 2021 and February 2022 the offender fraudulently entered new WoFs for 183 vehicles onto the MVR. They recorded each vehicle as having been inspected and given a WoF despite none of the vehicles having been inspected. As the offender found, we regularly review inspecting organisations and vehicle inspectors to check compliance. If we find serious non-compliance we’ll take action, including enforcement action. The offender pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months' community detention and 40 hours community work. We all rely on vehicle inspectors to conduct inspections with integrity and be assured that a passed WoF means our vehicles are safe to drive. The judge in this case recognised the possibility of community harm as people were unaware their vehicle was potentially unsafe, which could have resulted in a serious crash. When this happens we suspend and revoke the vehicle inspector’s ability to inspect. We also revoke all WoFs fraudulently issued by them. People who received a fraudulently-issued WoF are then required to obtain a new WoF. We’ve appointed over 8000 vehicle inspectors at more than 3400 inspecting organisations across the country. We’re committed to protecting the integrity of the vehicle inspection system. As in this case, we’ll take action when we find fraudulent behaviour.

Our app is now available in app stores! Manage your vehicles, renew rego, buy RUC, and view licence details with the NZTA App. You can download from app stores below or by searching NZTA Waka Kotahi in the app store. Google Play: https://lnkd.in/gmEymen9 App Store: https://apple.co/3Yqo3Nm You can find more information about the app on our website: nzta.govt.nz/app

This week's Road Worker of the Week is Alicia Wilcock. Alicia works for Fulton Hogan, where she’s currently part of their graduate programme. Alicia was recently with the team on State Highway 2 Remutaka Hill where she was working on an overnight road closure as part of our ongoing maintenance and safety improvement work. Growing up, Alicia always had an interest in crafts and creating things. Combined with enjoying maths at school, she figured studying engineering would be a good move. She recently finished a Civil Engineering degree at University of Canterbury and has been part of Fulton Hogan’s graduate programme for 18 months. Alicia finds having a variety of work both on site and in the office rewarding and is proud of how far she's come in such a short period of time. She appreciates the teams she works with for giving her the space to grow and learn, and along with gaining new skills throughout the programme, she has also grown in confidence. Alicia says the team take pride in their work, and there’s a lot of mutual respect on site. The high standard of work means the repairs and renewals last longer, minimising the number of closures needed each year. Thanks to Alicia, Fulton Hogan and the wider Wellington Transport Alliance team for keeping everyone safe on SH2 Remutaka Hill, and throughout the greater Wellington region. When you see roadworkers out on the road, travel safely through their worksites, follow signage and any instructions you receive, and give them a wave to say thanks for their tremendous work.

Mangamuka Gorge update: We're making strong progress with slip repairs on State Highway 1 through Mangamuka Gorge in Northland. 329 of the project's 588 permanent piles are substantial 1050-millimetre diameter piles, their drilled depths ranging from 14 to 33 metres. At an average depth of 27 metres, the team has drilled almost nine kilometres of piles and poured approximately 9000 cubic metres of concrete. We've now reached a huge milestone with all of these larger piles being completed, and are making considerable progress on the remaining piles. In July we reached another milestone as our largest drilling rig completed its final pile and was demobilised for transport back to Auckland. This rig weighs more than 70 tonnes and is 24 metres tall, so the process to send it back home was complex. Workers carefully maneuvered a 9-axle truck through Peria Valley Rd intersection and reversed the truck a few kilometres up the gorge, navigating through two active sites where all operations were temporarily paused. The rig was then loaded and began its journey south. On the way out we stopped at Pāmapūria School where the kids farewelled the rig and showed their appreciation for our team and our partnership with the community. We're on track to reopen SH1 through the gorge by Christmas this year. Keep up to date with our work by signing up to our email newsletter. Visit our website to sign up, and to find out more about the project: https://lnkd.in/gUZ3YVP2 CLL - Service & Solutions

Check out the awesome progress roadworkers have made on our repairs to State Highway 1 through Mangamuka Gorge in Northland. This flyover of the entire site shows how much has changed onsite compared to the previous flyover we shared back in December 2023. We're on track to reopen the road by Christmas this year. We're currently working on all the critical slips – we've finished piling on nine of the slips, three of which are complete, and we've just drilled the final 1050 millimetre diameter piles for slips A1 / A2. We'll get underway with physical works on the newest slip, slip A47, in early August. Kylie Harris from CLL - Service & Solutions, our principal contractor on the project, provides the commentary for this flyover. Check out our latest email newsletter for more information on the progress workers are making: https://lnkd.in/g3fErthJ Keep up to date with our work on Mangamuka Gorge by signing up to our email newsletter. Visit our website to sign up, and to find out more about the project: https://lnkd.in/gUZ3YVP2

As we move closer to a third construction season on Te Ara o Te Ata – Mt Messenger Bypass in Taranaki, we want to introduce you a man we call the Dirt Boss: Project Superintendent Andy Searancke. Andy has been in the earth-moving industry for 43 years. In this video he discusses the project's challenging earthworks programme. He also talks about how the new road will be a safer and more resilient and reliable section of State Highway 3 connecting Taranaki and Waikato. You can keep up to date with our work on Te Ara o Te Ata by subscribing to our email newsletter. Visit our website to sign up, and to find out more about the project: https://lnkd.in/g99Fr8Rs

We recently received a great story from someone who was driving through one of our roadworks sites, where a roadworker made their day! They shared that as they were driving through the Desert Road on State Highway 1, this roadworker not only put a huge smile on their face, but on many others. You can see in this video the joy this roadworker has – which was shared with people driving past, getting a smile and a wave during their travels. When you see roadworkers out on the road, travel safely through their worksites, follow signage and any instructions you receive, and give them a wave to say thanks for their tremendous work – you might just see them wave back!

Many congratulations to wāhine recognised in the recent National Association of Women in Construction NZ (NAWIC) Awards. We were delighted to see members of our Takitimu North Link project team celebrated – amazing work, well done!

Last year, in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, we had to repair the state highways in Gisborne while dealing with the onset of winter. To manage these unfavourable conditions we changed our typical ways of working, using an uncommon solution to rehabilitate the road and a light-touch solution for traffic management. Here’s the story of how we got the job done from the design phase of the delivery through to implementation and a look at the outcomes.