NOTICE OF REQUIREMENT: NZ TRANSPORT AGENCY: SH6 TARAMAKAU BRIDGE PROJECT

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1 1 July 2016 Planning Manager Westland District Council 36 Weld Street HOKITIKA Attn Alex Dunn Dear Alex NOTICE OF REQUIREMENT: NZ TRANSPORT AGENCY: SH6 TARAMAKAU BRIDGE PROJECT On 15 June 2016 you issued a request for further information on a number of items. The additional information sought is provided below. 1. Construction depot/yard Additional information has been sought in relation to the possibility of a construction depot/yard within the southern bridge approaches construction zone. While the main Contractor s yard is expected to be sited at the northern bridge approaches and within the designation area (in the area of the new stormwater pond) the Contractor may set up additional yards to suit their methodology for instance close to the rail overpass construction site within the southern bridge approaches area. It is anticipated that any such yard would be contained within the land purchased for the project and covered by the designation. If the contractor considers that alternative yard location/s are more suitable for their purposes, then it will be their responsibility to obtain the use of any such land (for instance, by leasehold agreement), and to obtain any land use consents required. The main contractor s yard is expected to house Contractors office, meeting/lunch room, portaloos. These buildings are expected to be the standard relocatable container style Portacom buildings. Any further yards may well house similar buildings. Any potential construction yard at southern end of the abutment will need 1

2 to be sited so that it does not have any adverse effects on the operation of the West Coast Wilderness Trail. Impacts on the existing West Coast Wilderness Trail will be limited as the majority of the project works are off-line from the existing highway and cycle route. However, the tie-in s at either end will unavoidably have some impact on the cycle trail; however the Contractor is required to manage any impacts on the cycle trail through traffic management, and to keep this trail open and to a safe and appropriate standard throughout construction. Once the Contractor is appointed, they will complete the construction Environmental Management Plan before works on site commence, which will include a Traffic Management Plan. The finalised CEMP will be provided to both district councils for their information, prior to works commencing on site. 2. Locked Bollard Access In response to the query about the locked bollard access, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has provided the following background information. The NZTA since consultation on the project began, been very aware of the interest of the bach owner/ occupier and the whitebaiters in the proposed changes to the access point to the Department of Conservation (DoC) land on the south side of the river immediately prior to the existing bridge necessitated by the new bridge construction. However, before further discussion it is important to consider the proposed access in the context of the existing informal situation. The current Crossing Place, (No 247), to and from SH6, which is a Limited Access Road, was granted to the Department of Land Information in 1996 for access to the adjacent scenic reserve land managed by the Department of Conservation. The use of the crossing place by the bach owner/occupier to access the bach and by whitebaiters accessing the river has never been formalised. Complicating matters further is that the users of this crossing place also cross the rail corridor. It is important to understand that there is a high probability that any new application for a crossing place at this location that included the current level of use by the bach owner/occupier and the whitebaiters would be declined by the NZTA on safety grounds. It would also be surprising if any formalised crossing of the rail corridor was allowed by KiwiRail. In considering options to replace the current access for DoC, the NZTA have been mindful of the desirability of any solution to also maintain some level of continued access for the bach owner/occupier and for the whitebaiters. 2

3 Remembering of course that replacement of the crossing place providing access to the DoC land is the NZTA s only actual legal obligation. The access solution which has been developed will utilise a widened and enhanced cycleway/pedestrian path, and has been agreed with DoC as serving their need for very infrequent maintenance access to the scenic reserve land. The NZTA believes that with appropriate management, this solution can also safely accommodate infrequent use by the bach owner/occupier and the whitebaiters. This philosophy has been the basis of all consultation to date including with the Westland District Council, the bach owner/occupier and the whitebaiters. While the NZTA are willing to go to extra expense to construct a path that preserves this informal access to the DoC managed land, for the bach owner/occupier and the whitebaiters in a safe manner, separated from both road and rail, the NZTA do not see it as their place to manage use of this access beyond that required for DoC. For further background, the NZTA also considered a separate access direct from the highway down the proposed embankment, however it soon became apparent that this could not be safely accommodated due to substandard sightlines from any intersection with the highway as a result of the safety barriers to be installed on the bridge and the embankment. In response to the specific queries you raise, I note that this aspect of the project continues to be further detailed as the project progresses. Section 8 Consultation simply reports what was discussed with Mr Russ on site, which has subsequently been superseded by the on-going discussions with David Inwood of Westland District Council (WDC), as to the best agency to manage the locked bollard. Mr Russ has been advised of this change of proposal. Since the application was lodged on 24 May, there has been on-going discussion between the Deputy Project Manager, David Mallett, and WDC s Asset Manager David Inwood. The proposal is that the WDC will be responsible for the maintenance of the cycleway, and therefore is regarded as the most appropriate body to manage the operation of the cycleway. There will be a locked bollard at the southern end of the cycleway (by the local road intersection) which will be able to be removed to allow vehicle access to the cycleway. There will be another bollard that prevents vehicles using the cycleway to travel over the river bridge. The key/combination to the locked bollard (and who is given access to this and under what circumstances) will be controlled by the WDC. The NZ Transport Agency s understanding of the situation is that ultimately WDC will be responsible for the use of the cycleway by vehicles, and for monitoring this 3

4 situation. The access situation for the full range of expected users is detailed below, but has yet to be discussed and finalised with David Inwood. 1. Whitebait stand owners The southern bank of the Taramakau River includes 17 whitebait stands to the west of the proposed road. These are currently accessed by the existing DoC access, followed by an informal track (grass/earth surface, less than 3m wide) running along the road reserve. The existing track is used by whitebaiters to limit the amount of walking they need to do down the informal track with their equipment. It is estimated that currently there are 16 vehicles per day using this access, moving in and out with the tides during the whitebait running season which extends from 1 September to 22 November each year. It is expected that limited access to whitebaiters will still be provided via the cycleway. This will be provided at the start and end of each season for equipment to be transported to the start of the informal track, and this access would be limited to a set time range (for instance a two hour period to be agreed between the Whitebaiters Association and WDC which is to be managed by WDC). Between these times whitebaiters will be expected to walk/cycle from the local road along the cycleway to access the informal track and their whitebait stands, and if the above vehicle access window is missed whitebaiters are not precluded from using the cycleway to transport their equipment on foot or cycle. This will add approximately 450m to the distance they are required to walk from the car park (note ample room has been retained for this on the side of the new local road). This access period is expected to be monitored by the WDC, with the key/combination not provided to individual whitebaiters. b) Bach owner There is an existing Bach located on road reserve land immediately west of the cycleway as this building is informally located on road reserve without any legal arrangement, it therefore has no legal standing and pays no rates on it. Vehicle access to this bach can be provided by the cycleway, however it is expected that this access will be limited to one entry and one exit per day, with the vehicle giving way to cyclists at all times. It is expected that the bach owner will be provided with a key/combination to the bollard for this access. 4

5 c) Department of Conservation (DoC) The only access required by DoC is for maintenance of their parcel of land, which is considered uncommon, and in which case DoC would contact WDC as required to arrange access. DoC have been consulted regarding this, and support this arrangement as advised by dated 15 March d) WDC WDC will maintain the cycleway and will therefore need access to the cycleway for maintenance from time to time. This maintenance work will be subject to a Traffic Management Plan that will be required to take account of user safety. e) NZTA Access to the embankment planting and stormwater pond for maintenance is provided via the cycleway. Maintenance requirements here are expected to be infrequent, and subject to liaison with WDC on a case-by-case basis. f) KiwiRail Access from the cycleway may be requested to reach certain parts of the track alignment, however this is considered unlikely. Access will be subject to liaison with WDC on a case-by-case basis. 3. Vesting of Retired Section of Highway in WDC A 300m section of the existing highway is to be retired, and then vested by the NZ Transport Agency in the Westland District Council, to be owned and operated as a local road. It is noted that the vesting of road in the Council is a separate process to the Notice of Requirement under the RMA, and this process will be undertaken in accordance with the Local Government Act. Detailed design drawings will be provided to WDC for review once NZ Transport Agency reviews are complete. The NZ Transport Agency will work with the WDC Asset Manager to ensure that the road to be vested is handed over in an agreed condition. At the consultation meeting held on site on 15 March, Geoff Griffiths of the NZ Transport Agency advised that this section of existing highway would be resealed as part of the project, to leave it in good condition and to minimise the on-going maintenance requirement for the district council. Further discussions will take place to cover all the details, and the vesting process, in due course. 5

6 4. Other matters Stormwater ponds A number of new stormwater ponds are being installed as part of the bridge approaches realignment. The stormwater ponds on the southern bridge approaches will be maintained by the NZ Transport Agency, as part of normal highway maintenance. Lighting The WDC is suggesting that there is merit in the provision of basic flag lighting for pedestrians and cyclists at each end of the cycleway, and in the underpass for safety reasons. As proposed in the Notice of Requirement, the highway realignment and bridge project has made no provision for any lighting, on the basis that no lighting is currently provided at this site or along this route, and as the site is within a rural zone. This approach has been tested and confirmed through the detailed design safety audit process. 5. West Coast Wilderness Trail (Cycleway) a) Construction impacts Impacts on the existing West Coast Wilderness Trail will be limited as the majority of the project works are off-line from the existing highway and cycle route. Establishment of the site office, construction works on the north side, and the tie-in s at either end will unavoidably have some impact on the cycle trail; however the Contractor is required to manage any impacts on the cycle trail through traffic management, and to keep this trail open and to a safe and appropriate standard throughout construction. Temporary traffic management and construction management plans can be provided to WDC for information once confirmed with the Contractor. b) Management of cycleway Maintenance drawings have been circulated to the Westland District Council which incorporates comments from an earlier revision. These drawings show that the cycleway over the bridge will be maintained by the NZ Transport Agency with WDC maintaining the cycleway elsewhere, and confirm the demarcation line for maintenance purposes (refer to drawings SK701 to SK703, sent via to David Inwood 18/05/2016). The management details and other issues concerning the cycleway are still being finalised, and is the subject of on-going discussion between the NZ Transport Agency and GDC/WDC. Similarly the possible cycleway extension for some 250m is still under development and negotiation. It is noted that the Notice of Requirement is a critical path item and so was finalised and lodged prior to all the cycleway matters being completely resolved. Details 6

7 concerning the cycleway can be addressed by agreement between the parties involved, which can then be formalised by the exchange of correspondence, and does not need to be contained within the designation process. c) Clip-on structure The existing clip-on cycleway structure on the road/rail bridge is an NZTA asset and is subject to an agreement between the NZ Transport Agency and KiwiRail. A cycleway to the Cochrane/Molloy property entry has never been included in the scope of the project, and is being discussed outside of this project by WDC and the landowner. Potentially Affected Parties I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this matter with you, prior to your final determination. I hope that the information provided above is sufficient, but if you need further clarification please contact me directly. However, hopefully the information provided is detailed enough and you will now be able to resume processing the Notice of Requirement. Yours sincerely Andrea Jackson Principal MEM 7

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