FW: Te Awa Kairangi - upcoming works on Queens Drive/High St roundabout (March - December 2026)
Gene Clendon
Hi folks!
A reminder…
Cheers,
Gene
From: Info at Te Awa Kairangi <In...@teawakairangi.co.nz>
Sent: Thursday, 26 February 2026 6:23 pm
Cc: Info at Te Awa Kairangi <In...@teawakairangi.co.nz>
Subject: Te Awa Kairangi - upcoming works on Queens Drive/High St roundabout (March - December 2026)
Kia ora,
We would like to remind you that from next week your journeys around Lower Hutt will change with the closure of the Queens Dr/High St roundabout.
As part of the SH2 Melling Transport Improvements project, from 9pm Sunday 1 March until December 2026 (9 months), the intersection between Queens Dr and High St will be CLOSED while we upgrade the single-lane roundabout to a high-capacity traffic light intersection and prepare the area for increased traffic. The SH2 Melling Transport Improvements project includes a new SH2 interchange at Melling, a new bridge over the river, and a relocated Melling train station and park and ride facility. This is a Road of Regional Significance (RoRS) project that will provide a safer, more resilient and accessible transport system in the area. Upon completion of the project, this intersection will be the gateway to Lower Hutt.
Access to businesses and residences will be maintained at all times, and pedestrians will still be able to move around the area, as highlighted by the dashed red lines on the map below. We encourage you to please continue to support the local businesses in this area.
The Queens Dr / High St roundabout closure will be updated on Google/ Waze mapping apps, and we recommend you utilise these tools or others to plan your journey.
The bus stops (#9117 and #8117) outside Burger King and Armstrong’s Nissan Lower Hutt on High St are being temporarily relocated to Cornwall St. Northbound buses will be re-routed from Queens Dr, right into Waterloo Rd, left into Cornwall St and then left into Pretoria St. Southbound buses will travel down Pretoria St, right on to Cornwall St, right on to Kings Cres, and then left back on to Queens Dr (retaining bus stop #8116).
Routes 110, 120, 145, 149, school bus 951, and N22 will detour via Cornwall St for the duration of the works. More information is available from Metlink here: https://www.metlink.org.nz/news-and-updates/detours-and-closures
With regards to the timeframe of the works, the conversion of the roundabout to traffic lights is the easiest part of this closure but we are also extending the size of the intersection into the former MSD site, thus realigning roading connections; rebuilding all of the footpaths and kerbs from boundary to boundary; excavating the existing intersection to a depth of ~0.5m below the current surface, and reinstating with a stronger and more durable pavement surface in order to cope with higher traffic volumes. This pavement material is more sustainable and can reduce rutting by up to 50% in comparison to standard pavement mixes. In addition, all of the services (power, storm and wastewater, gas, and fibre), as well as ducting within this intersection are being replaced. We are also providing new service connections to buildings and installing the new IAF high pressure wastewater line (more information about the IAF project here: https://www.huttcity.govt.nz/council/our-projects/infrastructure-acceleration-fund-iaf), new traffic lights and associated infrastructure, ITS systems and safety cameras.
We do hope to complete the works faster than the nine months predicted, however in order to avoid the busier summer/Christmas period we are undertaking the majority of this construction during the winter months. This adds the complexity of weather into our planning, and thus have built in some contingency into our timeline.
Works in the area will be carried out during the day, and while some of it will be noisy, we’ll be using measures like noise curtains to keep our work as quiet as possible. We’ll be monitoring our noise and vibration to ensure we comply with NZS 6803:1999 and the relevant designation and resource consent conditions. Construction works for the project are managed under the Resource Consent (https://teawakairangi.co.nz/assets/Resources/Environment-Court/Final-Decision/2022-NZEnvC-221-New-Zealand-Transport-Agency.pdf) granted through the Environment Court. Any works undertaken by Te Awa Kairangi programme partners must be in accordance with the conditions of this consent. The consent significantly restricts night-time works, to minimise adverse effects of noise and vibration for residents living close to the project area (particularly residents around Hutt CBD, Western Hills, Marsden/ Pharazyn Sts, and around Mills St stopbank areas). Whilst some night-time works will be undertaken (and are more appropriate to be undertaken at night, such as quieter activities which require temporary road closures), the ability to undertake significant night-time works is extremely limited by the consent conditions, to protect nearby residents. In addition, due to the size of the intersection, we can only have two crews working safely alongside each other at any one time.
This is a busy intersection and closing it is going to be one of the most disruptive measures we have to take during the SH2 Melling Transport Improvements construction programme. We’re acutely aware not only of the impact this closure will have on how people move around the area, but also the cumulative impact of all of the work going on around the Melling area and CBD as part of the programme.
Please share this message with your staff, peers and customers alike, and ask them to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys as they move around the city.
Our project team are always available to discuss our work, we’re committed to working with our neighbours and the local community, so please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can email us at in...@teawakairangi.co.nz
For more information and maps, please visit our website: https://teawakairangi.co.nz/our-projects/our-projects/localroadclosures-2026/
Other programme updates and activities can be found on the website, and regular updates will be posted on Te Awa Kairangi Facebook page, or you can sign up for the monthly newsletter here.
Thank you for your patience and support while we carry out this important intersection upgrade.
Kia pai tō rā! | Have a great day!
Zoe Thompson
SH2 Melling Transport Improvements Te Awa Kairangi Alliance – Engagement Lead
M +64 27 4264 404 E zoe.th...@teawakairangi.co.nz
