Thorndon Quay

Construction update (March)

While the weather hasn’t always been our friend in recent times, work has continued at pace and construction has finished on nine of the 13 work areas. 

The construction team has made the most of the road surfacing ‘season’ so you will start to notice Thorndon Quay is looking different as all the different areas come together as one road. More good news, signalised crossings will soon be in action. The process to get these signals ‘live’ is underway – watch this space! 

Here’s an update about upcoming mahi:

Area 1: Bunny Street intersection to Mulgrave Street
Night works to upgrade the current intersection signals, along with the road surfacing and cycleway separators installation, to be completed by end of April.

Area 2: Mulgrave Street intersection
Day works to upgrade the signalised intersection to be completed by the beginning of April. Road surfacing and cycleway separators installation to be completed in April.

Area 3: In front of National Archives and Capital Gateway exit
Road surfacing scheduled to be complete by end of April.

Area 6: Davis Street to Sebel Hotel
Works to install the new signalised crossing scheduled to finish in May.

For more information about why we’re doing this mahi, check out the project overview to find out more. 

Tinakori Road intersection

Regular visitors to Thorndon Quay have watched the progress on the Tinakori Road intersection. It’s a busy route so managing day-to-day use and getting the mahi done is a balancing act, but now we’re in the final stages of this part of the upgrade.

While the process to get the new signals ‘live’ is underway, there is a temporary ‘give way’ sign at the bottom of Tinakori Road for turning onto Thorndon Quay/Hutt Road. Once the signals are live this sign will be removed, and the crossing will be opened.

Cycleway update

The cycleway will be open both ways after surfacing is finished and separators are installed. The Davis Street area (Area 6) was recently paved, which means we’ll soon be able to open the two-way cycleway from just after Davis Street right through to Hutt Road (Area 13). Meanwhile if you’re travelling through Thorndon Quay by bike and have feedback on how we can improve the experience of riding through the active sites, please email us your comments or suggestions.

Paving honours awa

Etched paving designs honour Thorndon Quay’s hidden awa. In pre-European times, there were six awa (streams) flowing into the harbour along Thorndon Quay and Hutt Road. These days, these awa are mostly hidden in culverts and pipes. As part of this project, we’re marking their locations with designs created by Taranaki Whānui cultural expression artist Len Hetet. The latest etchings are almost completed - more on this in next month's update.

Cycling FAQs

We’ve been getting a lot of comments and questions from cyclists commuting via Thorndon Quay. All feedback provides useful insights from a biking perspective. Here are some frequently asked questions:

Q. Can the cycleway be used both ways now?
No. Until more of the separators are installed, people heading north should stay on the road until they are past Tinakori Road and can move over onto the existing two-way bike lane. All road users should share the lane as they would on any other road without a designated cycle lane.

Q. It seems there's still a cycle lane on the north bound lane in some places but not in others. Why is that?
When the work is completed there will be no cycle lane at all on the north bound lane. At the moment, the completed sections of the road reflect this new design and the unfinished sections do not. We are working rapidly to finish installing the separators and surfacing that will mean we can open the cycle lane. Meanwhile, we strongly encourage motorists to be aware of cyclists in the northbound lane and share the road with care.

Q. Why are some people parking in the new cycle lane?
The partially finished state of the road can be confusing for people, especially if they are not frequent visitors to Thorndon Quay. When the work is complete, the cycleway will be clearly painted with signage in place, making it more obvious no parking is allowed. For the time being we are putting out cones to show there is no parking and will report people who park in the new bike lane. If you notice cars parked in the bike lane, please report the issue to the Council.

Small business support

There’s still time for small businesses in Thorndon Quay who may be impacted by construction works to apply for a microgrant from Wellington City Council. Microgrants for eligible businesses of up to $1,500 can be used in a variety of ways, including marketing, training, signage and staff wellbeing. Find out more about the microgrant programme or email microgrants@wcc.govt.nz

Other support is available through WellingtonNZ. Check out the business support page or email Nik O'Connell, Business Growth and City in Transition Manager.