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5 April 2024

Welcome to the latest update on construction activity in the midtown area. 

Find out more about the regeneration of midtown and follow the progress at ProgressAKL.co.nz/midtown

You can read past updates here.

Read more

In this update

  • What's happening in midtown
  • A reminder to fill out our survey 
  • Read our latest story on the progress in midtown
  • Wellesley Street Bus Improvements - starting soon
  • Transport changes for Wellesley Street
  • Our commitments to you 
  • What to expect in your area

What's happening in midtown

The big focus for midtown this month is the start of the Wellesley Street Bus Improvements work which will begin on April 15, in the block between Albert Street and Queen Street. 

Progress continues for the following projects:

Te Waihorotiu Station: Link Alliance continue their streetscape upgrades, across Albert Street and Kingston Street. 
Te Hā Noa: The northern side of Victoria Street West, between the President Hotel and Queen Street is now complete and we are working on the southern side. Work continues to progress on Victoria Street East.

Click the links below to find out more about what’s happening in each part of midtown in the next few weeks:

Questions? Contact us

Coming up in your area:

Survey reminder

If you haven't already, we would really appreciate it if you could please fill out our survey on the Midtown Programme. 

We recognise that our work to regenerate midtown isn't without disruption, and we are running a survey to find out how you think we are doing in our efforts to reduce the impact on you.

Your feedback will help us make sure we’re focusing on the right things to best support you moving forward. By completing the survey you can go in the drawer to win $100 voucher to spend in a midtown business of your choosing.

Please find a link to the survey here.

This survey will close at 5pm Friday 12 April. 

Any questions please email us at midtown@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz. Thank you for your time, we really appreciate it. 

Read our latest story on progress in midtown

Momentum is building in midtown, with some of our biggest projects already underway, and others are about to begin.
 
We are making our way to a greener, safer, more vibrant and better-connected place for businesses, residents, commuters, workers, students and visitors. 

“I want Aucklanders and visitors to feel confident that we are creating welcoming and inclusive streets and spaces, along with underground infrastructure, in a planned and co-ordinated way so that the areas surrounding the stations will be ready for the transformational opening of the City Rail Link in 2026," says Councillor Richard Hills.

Read more about the recently completed projects, and the big transformations still to come, in the recent Our Auckland story

Wellesley Street Bus Improvements - starting soon

Auckland Transport have confirmed that construction will start this month on the upgrade of Wellesley Street to better support our growing city centre. 

The first stage will be the Queen Street to Albert Street block, to get ready for the opening of Te Waihorotiu Station which is expected to have thousands of people flow through it each day. In our City Centre Masterplan, Wellesley Street is envisioned as the key east-west bus route across the city centre. 

Once the upgrade is complete, this section of Wellesley Street will have wider and safer crossings for pedestrians, better bus infrastructure and bus priority, which means faster journey times for people. 

To find out more about what's planned for Wellesley Street, visit ProgressAKL.

Image: Artist's impression of the Wellesley Street bus improvements

Read more about construction on Wellesley Street

Transport changes on Wellesley Street West

From Sunday 14 April, all bus stops on Wellesley Street between Queen and Albert Streets will be moved to temporary stops one block west, between Albert Street and Hobson Street. This is to enable construction to take place on Wellesley Street West. 

The changes will be well signposted and there will be guides available during peak hours over the first week to help direct people to the relocated bus stops. Auckland Transport’s app will also be updated directing people to the correct temporary bus stop.

The Elliott to Queen Street block will also be bus-only between 7am and 7pm, 7 days a week, while construction is happening. Outside of those hours, it will be open to buses and ‘Authorized vehicles only’ meaning goods and services vehicles will be able to use the road. Pedestrian and business access will be maintained and loading zones on Elliott and Queen Streets will remain available at all hours. 

Google maps has been updated to reflect the closure of the Wellesley and Queen Street intersection to east-west vehicle traffic and roadside messages signs will be installed on key access routes to the city centre informing drivers of the best route to take.

Our commitments to you during construction

We recognise that this work we’re doing to regenerate midtown is disruptive to everyone in the area. We are committed to managing the construction impacts for people living, working and travelling through midtown. Our promise is to:

  • Keep you informed
  • Minimise disruption
  • Make sure you can still do what you do
  • Encourage people to keep coming to the area
  • Find out more about how we’re supporting our neighbours here

Image: People walking on Elliot St.

What to expect in your area

Victoria Street West

The northern side of Victoria Street West, between the President Hotel and Queen Street, is now complete. The garden beds and tree pit will be planted later in the year in optimal planting season. 

We are now working on the southern side of Victoria Street West between Elliott and Queen Streets. We are excavating and installing new drainage, streetlight pole foundations and preparing the subgrade for the cycle-path and extended footpath. 
We are currently installing ducting and the new kerb line on the ANZ corner. To complete this work safely, there is a lane closure on Queen Street between 9am - 4pm, with a stop/go operation controlling the traffic flow. This is expected to be in place until the end of next week.

In mid-April, we plan to place the final layer of asphalt onto the section of road between Elliott Street and The President Hotel. For both sides of the road to be completed, there will be a lane closure in place 9am – 4pm for approximately five days. A stop/go operation will control two-way traffic flow in the area. Final line marking will also be completed at this time.
 

Victoria Street East

Work continues on the intersection of High Street and Victoria Street East. We are currently working on the western corner near Coconut Factory to lay ducting, install the new kerb and extend the footpath.

We are also working on the northern side of the street between High Street and Kitchener Street. We are excavating trenches, installing new stormwater lines and streetlight pole foundations. 

There is a small site near Starbucks that we will be working in intermittently for the next few weeks to complete the Watercare utility diversions. A number of tests need to be completed before the watermain can be connected and the road reinstated.  As the testing takes place, a small site will be set up on the Farmers corner as well. This will be less intrusive as there won’t be significant excavation involved and we will be working in a smaller area. 

The communication ducting outside Starbucks and 220 Queen Street has been completed and the footpath reinstated. 

If you have any questions about construction, you can reach our contractor JFC’s Stakeholder Liaison Manager Sally Logan at sally.logan@jfcltd.co.nz or 021 420 794.

Victoria Street Loading Zones 

Loading zones from mid-March

Elliott Street

Stage one of the works undertaken by Vector on the corner of Elliot and Wellesley Streets have now been completed. 

Wellesley Street West

Wellesley Street Bus Improvements 

To enable for construction, bus stops will be temporarily removed, and buses will no longer stop on this section of Wellesley Street, from Sunday April 14. Clear signage will direct people to the new temporary stops, between Albert Street and Hobson Street.
 
Following this, AT’s contractor will begin establishing their sites, and traffic management which will reduce Wellesley Street to one lane each way.
 
What you can expect during construction

Work will mostly take place Monday to Saturday, between 7am and 7pm. On the rare occasion that we need to do night works, we will give you plenty of notice so you can prepare. 

Pedestrian and bus access will be maintained at all times, with goods and service vehicles permitted to access the road off peak, between of 7pm – 7am. 
 
Services such as street cleaning and rubbish collection will also be maintained.

A mix of site fencing, cones and traffic delineators will start being installed. 1.8m fencing with noise mats will be established around active sites, while traffic delineators, and later the smaller 1.2m high fencing will be used in other areas.

Noise mats will be installed on fencing when there are noisy or dusty works, to reduce the impact on you, and they will be removed at all other times. 

We will install signage to help people navigate the site safely and to direct people to local businesses. 

Loading and servicing: 
 
Loading and servicing bays are available on Elliot Street, at the corner of Wellesley Street, and Queen Street, outside Smith and Caugheys, for deliveries, pick up and drop off. If businesses require help with large or unique deliveries our contractors will work with businesses individually to manage their special requirements. 
 
Investigation works 
 
Towards the end of April utility investigations will begin in Zone 1– the southern side of Wellsley Street, between Mayoral Drive and Elliot Streets. These investigations will take place behind 1.8m high fencing with noise mats, to reduce the disruption. 
 
In early May investigation works will begin in smaller sites along the footpath in Zone 2 – the northern side of Wellesley Street, between Albert and Elliot Streets. These smaller sites will also be set up with 1.8m fencing and noise mats but are not expected to be in place longer than a week. Directly impacted businesses will be notified prior to the establishment of all new sites.
 
We have included this staging map as an attachment to this newsletter. 
 
 
What are the investigation works?
 
The exact location and depth of all underground services (water, drainage, communications, power etc) running under Wellesley Street West needs to be confirmed. Finding and upgrading underground assets is a key aspect of this project. It means that once complete, security of utility supply is maintained for years to come. 
 
To safely check for live services a hydro excavator (Hydrovac) will be used. This non-destructive method utilizes a combination of high-pressure water and a powerful vacuum to excavate soil and other materials. By using pressurised water Hydrovacs can excavate around buried utilities, pipes, and other sensitive infrastructure without causing damage. This makes it a safer and more precise method of excavation, especially in urban or densely populated areas where underground utilities are common.
 
Unfortunately, Hydrovacs do create some noise disturbance. The contractor has committed to taking all possible steps to reduce the impact by using noise mats and positioning the motor away from our neighbours. We will also endeavour to program noisy works when it will be least disruptive to neighbouring businesses. 
 

Te Waihorotiu Station - City Rail Link

The fit-out of the Wellesley Street station entrance is still ongoing, along with utilities and station connection works. 

For more information about CRL progress and upcoming works see the Te Waihorotiu Station latest newsletter at:https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/aotea-newsletter

If you have any questions, contact the Link Alliance team at 0800 CRL TALK or aotea@linkalliance.co.nz .

Wellesley Street East

There are no works planned for Wellesley Street East at this time. Watercare plan to begin their wastewater upgrades in mid-2024.

Albert Street (Wyndham to Mayoral)

Streetscape works continue on Albert Street between Wyndham Street and Mayoral Drive. See our staging map of our work in April here.

Find out more about the work on Albert Street here. If you have any questions, contact the Link Alliance team at 0800 CRL TALK or aotea@linkalliance.co.nz .

Wyndham Street

Link Alliance has now commenced some initial utilities upgrade works on the south side of the Wyndham/Albert St intersection. For now, two-way traffic is maintained on Wyndham Street. In coming weeks Link Alliance will continue streetscape upgrades, which will require a larger site footprint and a temporary one-way diversion on Wyndham Street. We will provide you with an update on these works once the plans have been finalised.   

If you have any questions, contact the Link Alliance team at 0800 CRL TALK or aotea@linkalliance.co.nz .

Kingston Street

This week the Link Alliance team have begun utilities upgrades and footpath works on the southern side of Kingston Street. The main public footpath will move to the northern side of the street, where paving has been completed. Access to Kingston Street properties will be maintained using localised diversions.

Questions? Contact us
Auckland's Future in Progress