The East Taupō Arterial opened to traffic on Friday 8 October 2010... five months ahead of schedule!
Overview
The completion of the East Taupō Arterial is a historical milestone for the Taupō district. The project has been in the pipeline for over 40 years, with discussions of a ‘Taupō bypass’ in Taupō County Council meeting minutes back in 1955.
The significant roading project started to gather momentum in 1988 when some local businessmen formed a group called Foundation 21. The group was instrumental in lobbying Taupō County Council, the regional council and central government to push forward with the Taupō bypass project.
After many Council meetings, internal meetings between various parties involved and public consultation sessions, the East Taupō Arterial got the official go ahead in 2003. In October 2010, Fulton Hogan delivered the project five months ahead of schedule. After 24 months of construction, the East Taupō Arterial is being opened to motorists as a new section of the national roading network – State Highway 1.
The 16-kilometre highway runs along the eastern outskirts of Taupō, from Taupō Airport to Wairakei, with a bridge over the Waikato River, and a long flyover bridge across the Contact Energy pipelines feeding the Wairakei Power Station. Its objective is to reduce the number of heavy vehicles travelling through the Taupō CBD and along the lakefront, and to reduce traffic congestion during holiday season and events.
Taupō…. the centre of it all!
Taupō has often been referred to as ‘the centre of it all’. Now with the completion of the ETA, there will be three more options for motorists to gain access to our town; the ETA includes three new entrances to Taupō at Centennial Drive, Broadlands Road and Napier/Taupō SH5.
Waiting in long summer queues will become a distant memory. No matter which direction you are travelling in, the journey to and from Taupō will become a faster, more enjoyable experience.
How much?
The original project cost was $110 million and covered construction, investigation, design and land purchase. The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) provided funding assistance of 76.5% with Taupō District Council’s share approximately $25 million. Council’s share is funded by the sale of land and development contributions.
The total cost of the project (as at October 2010) is estimated at $114 million. This figure includes the project scope changes: foam bitumen pavement stabilisation to increase the life of the new road, roundabout design alterations and the extension of Crown Road. Despite the changes, Council’s contribution will remain at the original budgeted amount of approximately $25 million.
Project Milestones
1955 - 1985
First discussions were held in regards to the idea of a Taupō bypass to cater for the heavy vehicles bustling through Taupō township.
1988
The ‘Foundation 21’ trust was formed with the objective of making Taupō a better place to live. One of the trust’s visions included an eastern bypass of Taupō. A proposal was put to Council in 1990 to build a bypass by 1995. Council started to look into how this might be achieved.
2000 - 2003
A ‘heads of agreement’ was signed in June 2000 by Taupō District Council and Transit New Zealand to seriously investigate the viability of an East Taupō Arterial route. A route designation was sought in 2002 and was approved (appeal free) in 2003.
December 2004
Opus International was contracted to carry out design work for the highway and prepare and lodge resource consents for the East Taupō Arterial.
December 2007
Environment Waikato granted resource consents for earthworks, stormwater, bridges and work in vicinity of significant geothermal areas.
July 2008
Fulton Hogan was appointed by Taupō District Council to complete final design and construct the ETA. Fulton Hogan was one of three shortlisted contractors which tendered the project; its tender price of $97.4 million was the lowest of the three.
November 2008
On-site works started with the removal of trees and clearing the route in preparation for the installation of stormwater pipes.
February 2009
An official ‘sod turning’ event was held to celebrate the commencement of construction.
May 2009
Earthworks began and were carried out over the winter months to reduce potential dust nuisance and environmental impacts. The wet weather also assisted with compaction.
October 2009
The 22-metre concrete overbridge for the Broadlands Road overpass was lifted into place. A 220-tonne crane and four supersized trucks were required to position the large concrete bridge beams into place.
November 2009
The discovery of ancient moa bones halted earthworks for a short period in a small section of the ETA. Hapu monitors followed archaeological protocol to remove the bones which were stored for later analysis.
January - March 2010
The 100-metre, 200-tonne bottom chord and outriggers of the Waikato River bridge were pushed into a temporary position over the river. A month later, the arches were manoeuvred into place and, in March, the 394-tonne main bridge was lifted into its final position.
September 2010
The Crown Road connector was completed and reopened to the public. Later in the month, almost 4000 people walked and cycled a section of the ETA at the official public open day which raised $7000 for local charities.
October 2010
The East Taupō Arterial ‘Official Opening’ event was held and the highway opened to traffic.
Did you know?
- 1.5 million cubic metres of soil was shifted during construction of the East Taupō Arterial. This is equivalent to 91,500 truck-and-trailer loads. Half of this material was used to build-up the Centennial Drive and Broadlands Road abutments and the remainder was used to fill gullies along the route.
- 64 individual recogniseable moa bones were found during ETA earthworks. The bones were confirmed to be the remains of four or five female moa who died at
different times over 600 years. The discovery of the bones carries major significance on a local, regional and national level due to their excellent preservation and the rarity of moa sites on the Central Plateau.
- One of the largest cranes in New Zealand, weighing in at 400 tonnes, was used to lift the Waikato River Bridge into place.
- More than 40,000 plants have been planted along the ETA to complement and enhance the highway and the entrance points to Taupō town. The plants were sourced locally to suit Taupō’s climate. Over 250 streetlights and 450 signs have been installed throughout the East Taupō Arterial.
- A 10km shared pedestrian/cycle path starts at the Centennial Drive on-ramp and heads south to Anzac Memorial Drive so cyclists and walkers can, too, enjoy the views of the East Taupō Arterial.
What next
Following completion of the East Taupō Arterial, Council is planning to provide improvements to the local road network that will improve linkages from the ETA to town and regain linkages between the CBD, the Tongariro Domain and the lakefront.
A programme of 'wayfinding' initiatives are also planned to help visitors find their way into and around Taupo.