30% Design Phase Complete!

Harnessing and co-ordinating all the complex elements of a project of RiverLink’s scope is no mean feat. So reaching its first development milestone – the completion of 30 per cent of the initial design phase - was a real achievement.

“With dozens of consultants and council staff involved in the design phase, working over a multitude of different workstreams, many of which are dependent on each other to make progress, we rely on the

application of experience and expertise, strong project management and good communication between the teams to make progress,” says GWRC Manager, Flood Protection, Graeme Campbell. “And that’s what we’ve achieved in this first phase of the design project, which has begun to reveal how all the parts will fit together to create the blueprint we will submit to the community.”

Key decisions such as the alignment of the river channel are being determined to enable detailed consideration of the exact location of the stopbanks, and the form they will take. It has also enabled us

to look closely at how and where we accommodate service such a stormwater outfalls and utility pipelines etc.

While the exact scale of the river channel (stopbank to stopbank) is yet to be determined, the urban landscaping team has begun to apply the finding from the Community Design Workshop into its brief

to design the corridor’s environment and amenities that will drive lifestyle.

Planning is also progressing on regional and local transport, with the NZ Transport Agency investigating transport issues along SH2 and at the Melling intersection, and Hutt City Council planning for the

implications both of better connections into the CBD and traffic flows within and through it. Concepts for a cycleway/pedestrian bridge were also presented.

“We’re making great progress. I can’t wait for the next milestone, which will be at 60 per cent completion then 90 per cent early next year, when we will get a detailed view of how RiverLink will

come together to provides its promised benefits for the Lower Huttcommunity”, says Graeme Campell.