From Tuesday 12 June to Tuesday 19 June, a pop-up project hub will open up at 290 Karangahape Road, to share the latest designs for this exciting revamp of this iconic street. All week long, this is your chance to swing by and find out more about the much anticipated joint Auckland Transport-Auckland Council project that’s bringing protected cycleways, decluttered footpaths, peak-time busways and some fabulous design in 2019.
At the pop-up, you can meet the team and check out visual displays, up-to-date project info, interactive events, and an exciting vision of Karangahape Road’s future, now just around the corner. Eager for a sneak peek? Scroll down for some pretty pretty pictures…
Plus! A special evening for people on bikes! On Friday 15 June, from 4-7pm, come ‘Friding’ along K’ Road and join Bike Auckland for a pop-up party. Mingle with fellow bike folk over complimentary nibbles from local merchants and beats by DJ Tito Tafa from Rebel Soul Records, and check out the life-sized cross-section of the new streetscape design. (Here’s the FB event page).
Pop-up opening hours
Tuesday 12 June: 1pm-4pm
Wednesday 13 June: 8am-4pm
Thursday 14 June: 10am-4pm
Friday 15 June: 10am-7pm *** Friding to K Road, whoop whoop! ***
Saturday 16 June: 10am-4pm
Sunday 17 June: 12pm-4pm
Monday 18 June: 10am-7pm
Tuesday 19 June: 10am-1pm
Meet the team session times
Wednesday 13 June: 8am-2pm
Friday 15 June: 4pm-7pm
Saturday 16 June: 12pm-4pm
Monday 18 June: 4pm-7pm
What kind of feedback is the project team looking for?
Your feedback will help set requirements for construction contractors, and guide the ways the local community is supported during construction. The team is happy to answer questions, and are looking for your thoughts on these things in particular:
- Construction hours and sequencing
- Parking and loading during construction
- Visitor access
- Construction signs and wayfinding
- Worksite hoardings
- Activations and events
The pop-up will be staffed all week, with four special ‘meet the team’ information sessions where you can meet key personnel like the project manager and designers.
How is Karangahape Road being enhanced?
The project’s goal is to preserve Karangahape Road’s unique character and create a street environment that supports its dynamic local community. With the City Rail Link and Light Rail, more visitors than ever are set to pour into the precinct, and with over 50,000 people now living within the city centre, population growth is putting the squeeze on space. The project is a holistic one, including:
- More street space for people
- Peak-hour bus lanes
- A protected cycleway
- A precinct parking plan
- Rain gardens to filter stormwater
- More trees
- Improved street lighting
- New street seating
- Community events and activities
How did we get here?
Since 2016, the Karangahape Road Enhancements project team has engaged the community on all sorts of questions: what makes Karangahape Road special, street layout, cycleway design, bus lanes, and parking.
In late 2016, public consultation established broad support for key elements of the design, like peak hour bus lanes and a protected cycleway. Since then, community engagement has continued at a local level, in partnership with the Karangahape Road Business Association and the ‘Design Reference Group’ comprising members of the local community. The current consultation is about getting community feedback on a precinct-wide parking plan, a construction plan, and ideas for community support during construction.
Project-related events, activities, and pop-ups will continue throughout 2018, to help the community get ready for construction and to develop a plan for ongoing support and engagement through to project completion.
Timeline
Early 2016 – Project start
February/March 2016 – Community feedback on what people love about Karangahape Road and how it could be improved
April/May 2016 – Community feedback on initial design options
October/November 2016 – Public consultation on completed concept design
Early 2017 – Results of feedback, further development of design
Mid-2017 – Further community feedback on design elements
March/April 2018 – Public consultation on parking changes
June 2018 – Community engagement on construction planning
July-ongoing through construction – Community engagement, events, activities
Late 2018 – Contractor appointed
Early 2019 – Construction starts
Early 2020 – Project complete
Show me the pictures!
And now for some pretty pictures and cool cross-sections, all courtesy of the project team. Scroll on… and you can click any image to make it bigger.
Pitt St to Queen St – interim and future
Note that the St Kevins block (Pitt St to Queen St) has two new ‘looks’: one for the duration of the CRL works, with modular place-kit elements to enable a diverse range of streetscapes as needed, and another more formal proposed look, to be considered by the community once the CRL is completed.. They’re both pretty excellent.
Hereford to Pitt St
Check out the rain gardens and new planting…
The Rainbow Bridge!
We love the way the pink path is not only more visible from the new overbridge windows, but has also been ‘elevated’ onto K Road itself, by way of a cycleway bypass around the gorgeous new rainbow bus shelters.
Upper Queen St
The street design for Upper Queen Street is utilitarian, reflecting likely changes from Light Rail construction in the coming years.
Queen St to Symonds St
And here’s the overview… click to embiggen!
