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25 October 2024 

Kia ora, 

Welcome to the latest midtown construction update, where we keep you informed on the progress and exciting transformations taking place as we work toward creating a more vibrant and connected neighbourhood.

For more on Midtown’s regeneration, visit ProgressAKL.co.nz/midtown.

Catch up on past updates here.

Read more

In this update

First stage of Te Hā Noa complete

The first stage of Te Hā Noa on Victoria Street, between Elliott Street and Queen Street, is now complete.

This exciting milestone marks a significant step in creating a more pedestrian-friendly and vibrant space in our city centre.

The new improvements include wider footpaths, enhanced seating areas surrounded by native trees and plants, making it easier and more enjoyable to walk, relax, shop, and explore. 

We anticipate the next stage, from Lorne Street to Albert Park, to open around the end of summer. The full upgrade will be completed in 2026, improving access to Te Waihorotiu Station and surrounding landmarks.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue transforming this key route through midtown.

Image above: Completed tree pit and seating for Te Hā Noa on Victoria Street 

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What's happening in midtown

Exciting progress is happening in midtown this month, starting with the opening of Te Hā Noa's first stage on Victoria Street. Work is progressing well at other areas - key highlights include: 

  • Watercare's midtown wastewater upgrades began on Greys Avenue, Queen Street, Mayoral Drive, Wellesley Street East and Victoria Street East.
     
  • Architectural fit-outs are nearing completion inside Te Waihorotiu Stationwith 90% of construction completed.
     
  • Streetscape works continue on Albert Street, between Wyndham Street and Mayoral Drive.
     
  • Bus improvement works continue on Wellesley Street, with a focus on underground services and stormwater installations.

Click the links below to learn more about what’s happening in your neighbourhood.

Questions? Contact us

Coming up in your area

 

 

 

Tell us how we're doing - share your feedback in a quick survey

As Auckland Council prepares midtown for the future with the City Rail Link (CRL) opening in 2026, we’ve been working hard to upgrade streets, improve transport connections, and create more open spaces for the increased foot traffic at Te Waihorotiu Station (Aotea).

We know these changes can be disruptive, and we’re committed to minimising the impact. To help us understand how well we’re supporting the midtown community, we invite you to share your feedback in our short survey.

It will take 5 minutes to complete and covers how we have:

  • Coordinated with other projects to reduce disruptions.
  • Communicated important updates through various channels.
  • Minimised disruptions like noise and dust.
  • Supported your day-to-day activities by maintaining access and managing traffic.
  • Kept midtown vibrant by hosting events to attract visitors.

Your feedback will help us improve as we continue to prepare midtown for the future.

Take the survey here

Watercare's wastewater upgrades began this week

To support midtown's growth, we’re redesigning our wastewater network and installing pipes under Queen Street to increase wastewater capacity. These pipes will collect wastewater from the eastern side of the city and connect to the Ōrākei main sewer. We’re also relining a section of the Ōrākei sewer and another existing tunnel to help reduce overflows into the harbour.

What to expect 

Work has begun at several key locations in midtown. This includes relocating underground pipes and cables (known as service diversions) to clear the way for shaft construction at the Mayoral Drive/Queen Street intersection and the Wellesley Street/Queen Street intersection.

The main works will involve constructing four deep shafts and a 1.23m-diameter wastewater pipe below Queen Street using a tunnel boring machine, along with short open-cut trenches at the Queen Street/Wellesley Street intersection to connect existing networks.

For more details on what to expect in your area - click here

Get in touch 

If you have any queries or would like any further information about these works, please contact Emma Cushnie, Stakeholder Manager for Fulton Hogan at emma.cushnie@fultonhogan.com or call 0800 830 252.

Alternatively, you can contact the Watercare team at midtown@water.co.nz

Find out more

Inside Te Waihorotiu Station

Architectural fit-outs are nearing completion inside Te Waihorotiu Station, with construction more than 90% complete.

The station team have released a “Journey to Completion” brochure – click here to preview what the station will look like once it's finished.  

We're excited to see the progress at Te Waihorotiu's Wellesley Street entrance - take a look below at the station's building transformation since 2021.

Image: corner of Wellesley and Albert Streets, looking toward the station’s Wellesley entrance building

For more information about CRL progress and upcoming works, see the Te Waihorotiu Station's latest newsletter or view the October staging map here.

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

Find out more

Bringing people to midtown for Art Week

It was great to see midtown full of energy during Art Week, which offered visitors the chance to explore a range of art installations, exhibitions, and performances across the area. 

Late Night Art drew a strong crowd, with foot traffic up 117.7% from the previous Thursday, 27.7% higher than last year's event, and 25% more than in 2019. Midtown was buzzing with activity, showing a clear boost in visitors.

Some highlights included: 

  • Changing Lanes - Jean Batten Place, Darby Street, Exchange Lane, Vulcan Lane, Durham Lane, Little High Street and Elliott Street were reimagined with large scale artworks. 
     
  • Performances and activations - Lower Khartoum Place, Freyberg Square, Vulcan Lane and the Ellen Melville Centre came to life with live performances, DJs, artist workshops and more. 

These activations, supported by the city centre targeted rate, provide a great opportunity for midtown businesses to connect with the community and draw in new customers.

Want to get involved in future events or activations? Contact us at midtown@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Image above: Durham Street East - On happiness - A Concrete Poem for the City by artist Elliot Collins.

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What to expect in your area

Te Hā Noa Victoria Street upgrade

Victoria Street West

The first stage of Te Hā Noa on Victoria Street West, between Elliott Street and Queen Street, is now open to the public. This newly completed area provides a spacious pedestrian zone with plenty of seating to enjoy the refreshed look of Victoria Street.

The cycle lane between Elliott Street and Queen Street will be opened when other stages are complete and cycle traffic signals are integrated with the Queen Street intersection.

Work by the Wilson Parking car park (west of Elliott Street) will continue until early next year. A new retaining wall will be built and paving completed in the area.

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 East

Changes are being made to the northern footpath between High Street and Kitchener Street to address steeper inclines and improve accessibility. We expect to open this area in early November.

Work continues between Kitchener Street and Lorne Street. We have installed new drainage, laid ducting for underground services and foundations for new traffic signals and streetlights. Next week, we plan to start work on the new footpath between Kitchener Street and Lorne Street. Access to businesses will be maintained throughout the work. 

We have completed the speed table at the intersection of Lorne Street and Victoria Street East. The footpath on the western side of Lorne Street near Myopia Clinic will be reinstated over the next two weeks.  

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. 

Watercare's wastewater upgrades

Because most of the underground services diversions below the worksite on Victoria Street East have already been completed as part of the Te Hā Noa project, we can begin shaft construction.

This week, we began setting up the Victoria Street East compound. This involves survey work, road line marking and installing temporary steel barriers. Next week, we will install site hoardings.

The loading bay outside Farmers has been temporarily removed. Click here to view a map of loading bays in the area. 

Night works are scheduled at the Queen Street/Victoria Street East intersection on Tuesday, 5 November, from 8pm to 5am. These works involve the removal of a redundant traffic light to create space for shaft construction. Because this work involves lane restrictions, these night works are unavoidable.

We understand that night works can be disruptive and we’re mindful of the impact this may have on people sleeping nearby. Teams will do everything they can to minimise noise by completing the noisiest works earliest in the evening. Click here to read more details. 

If you have any questions about Watercare's wastewater upgrades project, please contact Emma Cushnie, Stakeholder Manager for Fulton Hogan at emma.cushnie@fultonhogan.com or call 0800 830 252.

Alternatively, you can contact the Watercare team at midtown@water.co.nz.

Wellesley Street Bus Improvements

Wellesley Street West 

The City Rail Link's Link Alliance and Auckland Transport'sWellesley Street Bus Improvements projects are closely coordinating work in this area. 

Work continues in zones 2 and 3 on Wellesley Street (green and red areas in the map below).  

Image: Map of the construction zones on Wellesley Street West

Zone 1 - Mayoral Drive to Bledisloe Lane: 

The site footprint has extended down to The Civic/Metro underground driveway access. Pedestrian access from Wellesley Street to Bledisloe Lane/Aotea Square will always be maintained.

The Bledisloe Lane/Elliott Street pedestrian crossing has shifted slightly towards Queen Street (outside Dum Dum Dumplings) to allow teams to remove kerbs and pavement at the existing crossing.

Click here to view the Zone 1 footprint.

Zone 2  - Albert Street to Elliott Street:

Installation of underground utilities continues within the existing site footprint.

Gas cutovers took place early yesterday (Oct 24) and today (Oct 25). Do not be alarmed if you hear popping noises or smell gas. 

Footpath upgrade works along the building façade will begin mid to late next week. The site layout will change to allow for these works. Access will be maintained to businesses. To view the new site layout - click here.

Zone 3 - Elliott Street to Queen Street:

The footpath between Elliott Street and Queen Street has now re-opened along the facade of the Smith & Caughey building.

Utility installation works continue, with construction on the new footpath kerb line starting soon. 

Image: Elliott Street footpath opened 

If you have any questions about construction on Wellesley Street West, please contact Downer’s Stakeholder Manager, Brandy Smith, at brandy.smith@downer.co.nz or 027 692 3783.

Te Waihorotiu Station - City Rail Link

Streetscape works continue on Albert Street between Wyndham Street and Mayoral Drive. This month, kerb and footpath works on Albert Street outside Huawei Centre have begun – please follow localised diversions in place.

Works on Mayoral Drive are also now progressing and will require some pedestrian diversions – please follow on-site wayfinding. 

Bluestone wall heritage stone reinstatement works also begin this month. Following careful development of an innovative traffic barrier and temporary works solution, the slip lane adjacent to the wall will remain open to vehicle traffic for most of the bluestone reinstatement programme.

Pedestrian access will always be maintained. However, to prepare for our stonemason contractor to begin work, some temporary closures of the lane to vehicles will be required. 

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

Kingston Street

Road and footpath reinstatement works on Kingston Street are now complete, enabling the Auckland District Court’s building remedial works to begin. 

Some further City Rail Link reinstatement items, like streetlight installation and the completion of the architectural wrap around the concrete ventilation shaft, will happen later this year. 

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

Watercare's wastewater upgrades

Wellesley Street East

Auckland Transport has relocated Bus Stop No 1094 from 10 Wellesley Street East to 18-26 Wellesley Street East. The existing loading bay at 18-26 Wellesley Street East has been closed to accommodate Watercare's worksite.

The nearest loading bays are located outside 36-38 Lorne Street, 261 Queen Street and 290 Queen Street. These temporary changes to the bus stop and loading bay will be in effect until December 2025.
 
Last week, we conducted video inspections of the pipes at the Wellesley Street East/Queen Street intersection.

We also began relocating underground services at the Wellesley Street East/Queen Street intersection, starting outside Yoyoso and ASB. Roads and footpaths will remain open during this time.   

Greys Avenue 

Last week, we began setting up the work compound at the Greys Avenue car park. By using the car park to house our equipment, materials, generators and staff facilities, we’re able to reduce the footprint of construction on Queen Street, minimising disruption for nearby residents and businesses. 

A reminder, the car park will be temporarily closed to the public over the next couple of years while we complete the midtown wastewater diversion project. Mobility parking will remain available. Access to the Myers Park underpass will be maintained.

Mayoral Drive

This week, works began to relocate underground services at the Mayoral Drive/Queen Street intersection.

Works will start outside Four Points by Sheraton on Queen Street. Roads and footpaths will remain open during this time.

Night works in early November

Essential night works are planned at the Queen Street/Mayoral Drive intersection from Tuesday 5 November through to Sunday 10 November. These works are scheduled between 8pm and 5am each night (excluding Friday and Saturday nights).

We will relocate the traffic signal ducting that connects in the middle of the intersection. Because this work involves lane restrictions, these night works are unavoidable.

We do understand that night works can be disruptive and we’re mindful of the impact this may have on people sleeping nearby. Teams will do everything they can to minimise noise by completing the noisiest works earliest in the evening. 

Both Queen Street and Mayoral Drive will remain open, with a stop/go traffic management system in place to guide vehicles through the area.

Click here to read more details. 

If you have any questions about Watercare's wastewater upgrades, please contact Emma Cushnie, Stakeholder Manager for Fulton Hogan at emma.cushnie@fultonhogan.com or call 0800 830 252.

Alternatively, you can contact the Watercare team at midtown@water.co.nz.

 
Questions? Contact us
Auckland's Future in Progress