Jarden Mile improvements project
People biking, walking and catching the bus between Wellington and the Hutt Valley will soon benefit from a series of improvements at the Jarden Mile and Hutt Road intersection, delivered in partnership by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and Wellington City Council.
The upgrades will make it safer and easier to move through one of Wellington's busiest roads, improving connections for people travelling on foot, by bike and by public transport. The work forms part of wider improvements along Hutt Road, a key route linking the city with the northern suburbs, Lower Hutt and regional cycling connections. Changes include:
- upgrades to the shared walking and cycling path
- improved pedestrian crossings
- better connections between existing and future active transport routes.
At Jarden Mile, improvements help people move more safely between bus services, walking and biking routes, and the state highway network. The shared path upgrades will strengthen links between key walking and cycling investments already underway in the region. This includes the recently completed Te Ara Tupua between Ngauranga and Petone, and the improved bike and bus lanes along Thorndon Quay and Hutt Road.
Te Ara Tupua
The waterfront shared path creates a safe walking and cycling connection between Wellington and Lower Hutt while also improving the resilience of State Highway 2 and the Hutt Valley railway. Its goal is to:
- provide a safe walking and cycling route between Wellington and Lower Hutt.
- increase transport choice and reduce carbon emissions.
- improve health and recreation opportunities.
- strengthen protection of the rail line and SH2 from storms, coastal erosion, and sea level rise.
Hutt Road background
Changes proposed for Hutt Road as part of Let's Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) were cancelled when the partnership programme between Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, Greater Wellington Regional Council, and Wellington City Council was dissolved in early 2024. Wellington City Council then took the lead on some of LGWM's mahi.
Prior to that, public engagement and planning for changes on Hutt Road and Thorndon Quay was being led through LGWM. This included development of project objectives and options for a proposed solution, public consultation the proposed design and a traffic resolution for Hutt Road.
Wellington City Council paused this project in early 2024 pending a decision through the Long-term Plan, which recommended that the Hutt Road proposal be withdrawn to save costs. This was approved through the Long-term Plan process and the project was cancelled.
The construction already underway on Thorndon Quay and Aotea Quay continued and has now been completed.
Work on the first phase of upgrading the shared path started in October 2016 when we began replacing the street lights on the western side of Hutt Road. Preliminary construction on the pathway got under way in April 2017 and continued until mid-2018 as far as the Tinakori Road intersection. Widening the bridge over Kaiwharawhara Stream took place from August to November 2019.
The project was developed in three sections:
- Section 1, between Caltex Fuel Stop and Aotea Quay overbridge. We created separate walking and biking paths to replace the former shared path, and made changes to parking. View the details.
- Section 2, between Aotea Quay overbridge and Tinakori Road intersection. We widened and upgraded the shared path to create separate biking and walking paths. View the details.
- Section 3, widening the Kaiwharawhara Stream bridge to connect the new walking and biking paths on either side. View the construction details.
Consultation
The proposed Hutt Road cycleway opened for public consultation on 16 March 2016. We also held two open days for people to come along and find out more. 991 people provided feedback before consultation closed on 18 April 2016.
Councillors heard 45 oral submissions from the public at a Transport and Urban Development Committee meeting on 5 May 2016.
Phased approach
In 2016 the Council approved a phased approach to constructing the Hutt Road cycleway to allow more investigation into:
- the impact on parking
- potential for traffic lights outside Spotlight
- transit lanes for bus priority.
Parking surveys have found that 40% of people parking along Hutt Road are commuters who continue on into the city on foot, by bike or bus. We investigated alternative options for parking in the area to accommodate the 60% of people who park along Hutt Road near where they work.
Traffic lights at Spotlight were investigated but not recommended. The Council agreed to leave the intersection as it is. While there were some safety benefits for people accessing Spotlight, the loss of parking to make room for extra lanes and the overall delays to all road users would be significant. This, combined with the narrowing of the median at the intersection, would also result in increased risk to people on the path.
Hutt Road is one of our busiest commuter routes and a crucial link in the region's wider cycle network. More than 400 people cycle this way at peak times, and the number choosing to use the bike path has doubled in the past 10 years.
Hutt Road was selected as the most viable route to provide a northern connection in Wellington’s wider cycling network. Long-term, a coastal route could possibly be developed as part of Te Aranui o Pōneke / the Great Harbour Way.
