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Beltway Cycleway

We want to build a cycleway between Seaview and Taita. We are starting with building our first section between Waterloo and the Hutt River.

The Beltway Cycleway is part of our work to change the way our city moves and to help everyone get from A to B in the easiest, safest and most enjoyable way, whether you are commuting to work, going to school or just out for a recreational ride.

Cycleways and Shared Paths, like Beltway, can reduce traffic and improve air quality, they’re cheaper than roads, safer for cyclists, resilient and they will make our city more attractive.

The Beltway is one of Lower Hutt’s major urban cycleway routes. When constructed it will provide the catalyst for future active transport connections to our schools, transport hubs and businesses, give more transport choice to our communities.

The route, when completed, will eventually run from Taita to Seaview along High Street and Oxford Terrace adjacent to the Hutt Rail Line and, over time, will provide additional links to form a connected Lower Hutt cycling network between residential areas, workplaces, the hospital, schools and recreation areas.

It is a key project under our Walk and Cycle the Hutt 2014-19 Strategy (PDF 2.3 MB).

This project is included in the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) 2018-21 priority list of projects in the Wellington Region. It will be jointly funded by Hutt City Council and NZTA.

Where are we now?

Since we last consulted with you we have gone through a tender process and negotiations with a contractor. This process has been successful and have now awarded a contract to Downer NZ for the construction of the Central and Northern sections of the Beltway Cycleway. We will be building both sections at the same time, over the next 8 months you will see two separate Downer teams working along Oxford Terrace and High Street respectively.

How is it built?

The Beltway is to be built on the grass berm between Oxford Terrace and the railway (for the Central Section) and on the existing berm between the footpath and High Street (Northern Section). To check where we are building, see the map below:

Each of these sections will follow the same process, as outlined below.

Step 1 – Vegetation Clearance

To make room for the new path we need to clear some of the existing vegetation.

We are working closely with our HCC Green Assets team to agree and minimise the extent that we have to clear, and where appropriate we will look to replant these areas.

You may notice some of these areas with less foliage and some trees & bushes being removed as our team moves through.

Step 2 – Constructing the path

Once the space is clear of vegetation, we will start excavating and laying the path. For a majority of the Central Section, this is as simple as removing soil and laying the path. In the Northern Section, we will be crossing driveways and in some places realigning the kerb. For those northern properties that are being impacted, our team will look to get in contact with you to discuss specific access requirements. Please keep an eye out for a letterbox drop that our team will be doing before starting works.

Step 3 – Road Crossings

As a part of the overall works, we are upgrading some of the existing pedestrian crossings that the path will utilise, as well as raising the path across intersections. The pedestrian crossings will be upgraded to allow bikes to use, and will in some circumstances require the street lighting arrangement to be amended for better visibility. As we move through the works, we will look to construct these crossings as they relate to the work site. This is done to minimise disruption to commuters as best as possible.

Step 4 – Finalise

Once each 500m section of path is built, the team will then repeat the process for the next 500m section as they work north along the Central and Northern Sections.

Construction Progress

The construction teams will be looking to build each section of the Beltway in 500m chunks, moving South to North.

Construction is well underway in the Central and Northern Section and looking on track for having the project completed mid-2021.
The central section sites 1 and 2 – Waterloo Station to Brees Street – are almost completed, with only line markings left to do. We have worked through upgrading some of the existing pedestrian crossings and island crossings that the path will utilize.
Grass reinstatement along this section was completed in late October, and the grass is now starting to come through. We are working closely with our HCC Green Assets team who are organizing planting in this section.
We have started to clear the existing vegetation in central section sites 3 and 4 – Brees Street to Harrison Crescent – as required. The path is planned to be excavated and laid through these sections in November.
Vegetation removal in central section 5 – Harrison Crescent to Walters Street – will be done in November. The existing vegetation adjacent to Naenae station will be cleared over the Christmas period, to minimize disruption to the rail corridor.
Regarding the Northern Section - The majority of the path construction is complete up to the Taita shops; kerb realignment has been completed along here, as well as reinstatement of residential driveways.
As part of the work in the Northern Section, we have aligned the path through a tree tunnel just south of Macky Street. We will be amending the lighting through what we refer to as the “Tree Tunnel” to allow for sufficient visibility for cyclists.
Work has started north of the Taita shops to remove the existing kerb, which be extended into the road to retain the majority of trees on the grass berm. There will be traffic management in this section while these works are happening.