The Challenge:
State Highway 1 through Dome Valley had a poor safety record. As part of the Road to Zero programme, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency sought to deliver safety interventions along a 12km length of corridor between Wellsford and Warkworth.
As the main connection between Northland and the rest of the North Island it was important to complete this section of SH1 prior to the opening of the new motorway between Puhoi and Warkworth. Solutions also needed to be found to address the challenging and complex nature of the corridor (it is narrow, sloping and windy), and to reduce the impact on the high number of daily traffic users.
The Outcome:
The project began in September 2019 and, to address the particular challenges of the location, was delivered in five stages, implemented as separable portions within the main construction contract, with most of the physical works being carried out at night.
- The physical works delivered included:
- Road-side shoulders,
- Flexible road-safety barriers,
- Right-hand-turn bays,
- Widening the centre line,
- Median wire barriers,
- Steel side barriers,
- Retaining walls,
- Pavement improvements,
- Painted central median,
- Slope stability,
- Turn-around areas,
- New signs and road marking,
- Culverts renewals.
Our Involvement:
From late 2021, Resolve Group provided project management support for this $92 million programme, including managing huge delays due to the Covid shutdown and a number of extreme weather events that affected delivery progress.