Cross Valley Connections

Find out about The Cross Valley Transport Connections project that will provide an opportunity to improve the overall social, economic and transport outcomes for Hutt City.

About the project

In August 2021, the Cross Valley Transport Connections Programme Business Case was approved by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Board.

Hutt City Council has been working on a more resilient, higher capacity, multi-use east-to-west connection for many years. We believe the current route along The Esplanade is not providing the required level of service and will continue to underperform into the future.

The goal

The Esplanade sits in a strategically valuable location, spanning the foreshore and providing an essential link between Lower Hutt's southern areas and the rest of our city for more than 25,000 motorists daily.

Currently travel times along The Esplanade are unpredictable. Waka Kotahi’s surveys reveal there is a low average speed when travelling during peak times, with lots of stops and starts. This negatively impacts the foreshore area, making it detrimental for Petone.

The Cross Valley Transport Connections will divert through-traffic away from the Petone foreshore with a better connection between:

  • SH2
  • Seaview
  • Gracefield
  • Petone
  • Eastern Bays
  • Wainuiomata.

Benefits

  • It will include improvements that will make life easier for cyclists to navigate Ewen Bridge, advance connections to the Hutt River Trail, and improve bus journeys by prioritising them at key intersections.
  • Hutt City and the wider Wellington region would be better prepared for large earthquakes, and for the long-term effects of climate change (e.g. sea level rise).
  • Preparing will help to mitigate the negative economic impacts, improve people’s access to lifeline services, and reduce the likely social costs that will result from long-term isolation from friends and family.
  • Hutt City would be better prepared for crashes, road accidents (spills) and construction works.
  • There will be improved travel time reliability on the key arterial roads for buses, heavy commercial vehicles and general traffic.
  • Encourage economic development in Hutt City.
  • Encourage increased use of bus services.
  • There will be more transport choices including the reduction of travel obstacles that some people may experience.
  • There will be improved walking, cycling facilities and micro-mobility access improvements at the Petone, Ava and Woburn Train Stations and connections to and from the Te Ara Tupua Walking and Cycling Project.

Next steps

The next steps will include a single stage business case and then detailed design work (which ultimately sets out the alignment of the route etc).

The exact timing of the next steps depends on:

  • future funding decision-making processes,
  • HCC's long-term plans
  • GWRC's regional land transport plans
  • Waka Kotahi's national land transport plans.

For more information