Alexander Road – major works update

Published on 14 September 2022

Further update (14 September) - Alexander Road will reopen to two-way traffic at a reduced speed of 30k on Hātarei (Saturday).

Before that happens, drivers will notice an altered road layout on Tāite (Thursday) and Paraire (Friday), with northbound traffic switched to the newly chip sealed lane.

Driver note - the chip seal is temporary, the final asphalt layer will be laid at the end of the project. Keeping your speed to 30k is essential to maintain the surface of the road.

It also reduces the risk of loose chip flying up and hitting windscreens which can happen at higher speeds.

12 September - An update from PCL Contracting on the major works happening at Alexander Road.

What’s happening?

The project involves the widening and upgrade of Alexander Road. In recent years Upper Hutt has experienced significant urban sprawl and the new Wallaceville Development is a key example of that.

This sprawl puts greater demand on the already existing infrastructure and leads to an increase of motorists using the network within the Trentham Area.

The upgrade of Alexander Road is part of a wider goal to upgrade assets and provide greater road safety for vehicles and cyclists.

Key features of the new road include:

• A new roundabout and a new intersection which will tie into stage 11 of the Wallaceville development.
• A new dedicated 2.5 m cycleway  and footpath on the northern  side of the road
• Addition of 22 new streetlights to create light in what was otherwise a non-lit area.
• A widening of the existing road to facilitate a new flush median which will provide safe refuge for vehicles looking to turn right while other vehicles pass.
• New asphalt to replace the older existing chip seal surface.

Who is doing the work?

The work is being undertaken by PCL Contracting and its subcontractors on behalf of the Gilles Group.

Stage 1

The project is at about 50% complete. The first stage of the build on the eastern side is nearing completion with the crews preparing the road for final surfacing and landscaping the berms.

Work conditions have been tough with an abnormal amount of rain fall during the winter months which has in turn created programme delays. After a two week delay due to a significant amount of rain through the winter months, the chip seal was laid on 10 September.

Now that the road is chip-sealed and a few small tasks have been completed, traffic will switch over to this side of the road on 17 September to allow the next stage of the build to start (the current west-to-east traffic direction will be kept for the duration of the project).

Stage 2

The next stage of the build is the construction of the roundabout and centre islands and the tie in into the Ward Street end of the job.

Additional resourcing and programme acceleration

PCL has committed additional resources to try to accelerate the programme.

Stage 3

With the traffic on a two-way system, PCL will then finish the remainder of the job. Tentative date for overall job completion: 5 December

Details about road works and closures happening in the city are shared on our website and further updates about Alexander Road will also be shared here. Go to upperhuttcity.com/Services/Roads-and-parking/Road-works-and-closures