Birkenhead Rawene Road carpark updates Birkenhead Rawene Road carpark updates

Keep up to date with news on the Rawene Road carpark, Birkenhead.

2018

15 February

After discussion and agreement with the Kaipatiki Local Board and Birkenhead Town Centre Association, parking enforcement in the Birkenhead town area will re-commence from Monday, 19 February 2018.

2017

20 December

Following our emergency response to address the immediate effects of the slips, work on the Rawene Road site has transitioned from the ‘emergency response’ to the ‘recovery’ stage. Auckland Council will now take the lead role, working with Auckland Transport and other council agencies to ensure the safety and stability of the site and to co-ordinate future remedial works.

We know that are be many questions you want answered about this work. To get the best answers to as many people as possible Auckland Council will collate your questions and publish the answers to the most common questions on the OurAuckland website.

For more information visit OurAuckland website or:

Email Auckland Council

15 December

Tomorrow’s (Saturday 16 December) full day closure of the Rawene Road car park has been pushed out to Monday 18 December (The car park will be closed from 10pm on Sunday night).

Note that in the interest of public safety pedestrian and vehicle access to private car parks via the slip road is now prohibited. If you have any questions or concerns call the AT Contact Centre on 09 355 3553 for information 24 hours a day.

14 December

Over the next few days Auckland Council contractors will be using large trucks to deliver material to the site. The carpark will remain open but some disruption should be expected.

Full closure of the car park will occur on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 December 2017. This will be to facilitate the delivery of a 100-ton crane along with its boom, counterweights and sheet piles which will be used to continue stabilisation work of the site. Sheet piles are sections of sheet metal, with interlocking edges that are driven into the ground to provide earth retention.

This crane and equipment will be set up over the coming week and, once a final safety and technical check has been done, temporary stabilisation work of the slip will continue. Auckland Council aims to have this work started before Christmas. It is expected to take up to two weeks.

Once the top of the slip has been stabilised, investigations at the bottom of the slip will occur to determine further remedial and/or stabilisation measures as warranted.

11 December

Additional bore drilling performed last week and over the weekend has confirmed our assessments of where the natural ground and fill areas are. Stormwater diversion work on the site has also been completed. Auckland Council engineers and consultants are finalising decisions on the best means to complete temporary stabilisation work on the slip site which is expected to continue this week.

8 December

Bore drilling and stormwater diversion work has being done by Auckland Council contractor’s over the weekend. All work occurring within the site is being reviewed and approved by Auckland Council’s Geotechnical & Geological Practice Lead, Ross Roberts.

The Auckland Transport Parking Design team is continuing to work with the local board and business association to develop further parking alternatives for Birkenhead. We hope to provide further details on this next week.

7 December

The public meeting hosted by the Kaipātiki Local Board was held from 4.00-5.30pm Thursday 7 December.

Download a copy of the presentation (PDF 4MB, 30 pages)

Auckland Transport has served to coordinate the Council family as first responders. We will continue to assist with the investigation of this incident, stabilisation of the carpark, manage parking optimisation in the town centre and delivery of the Birkenhead Transformation Project next year. Management of this incident has and will continue to involve multiple CCOs and key arms which sit within Auckland Council itself (Such as experts and officers from Geotechnical & Geological Practice, Building Consents & Building Control and Infrastructure & Environmental Services). Auckland Council will be taking the lead in managing this situation from this point forward.

Further information regarding this transition will be provided over the following week.

Please note that in the interest of public safety pedestrian and vehicle access to private car parks via the slip road is now prohibited. If you have any questions or concerns call our Contact Centre on 09 355 3553.

6 December

Following safety reviews we have ascertained that additional specialist equipment and site preparation will be required to facilitate retrieval of equipment which went down the slip. Therefore the scheduled full closure of the Rawene Road car park from Friday to Sunday, 8- 10 December has been postponed.

We are unable to provide a confirmed date for this work at this time and further information will be provided as it becomes available.

6 December

Please be advised that the Kaipātiki Local Board will be hosting a public meeting regarding the Rawene Road slip tomorrow (Thursday, 7 December) 4pm to 5.30pm.

This meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Birkenhead Library. Senior representatives as well as technical specialists from Auckland Council and Auckland Transport will be attending to provide further information.

5 December

Work to retrieve additional core samples will continue over the next few days. These samples are important for us to determine the best way to complete remaining stabilisation work. The ground will be returned to normal once the samples are retrieved.

We are aware of concerns from members of the public of the cracking in the car park on Mokoia Road. An initial assessment has determined that the depression has been identified in imagery dating back from 2015 and the cracking today is consistent with heavy vehicle/ loading and unloading activities. An Auckland Council geologist has also advised us that the ground conditions, geology and topography between the car park and the gully are completely different and is confident that there is no link between the two. We are however taking this case seriously and geotechnical specialists are investigating this further. More information will be provided once we receive a report from the specialist.

Please report any unusual cracks or damage to a property following the slip. Any issues will be investigated by Auckland Council building inspectors.

4 December

There has been no change to the site over the weekend. Existing equipment is being moved to make way for incoming salvage equipment. Additional core samples will also be taken around the perimeter of the slip to assist with the ongoing investigation.

The salvage work methodology is being reviewed by our contractor and us. This means work will not commence until Friday this week. The car park will be fully closed on Friday, 8 December to Sunday, 10 December and not from Wednesday to Friday as previously communicated.

Please note that in the interest of public safety pedestrian and vehicle access to private car parks via the slip road is now prohibited. If you have any questions or concerns call the AT Contact Centre on 09 355 3553 for information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

1 December

Stabilisation work is still on hold while further steps are being assessed. In order to prepare the site for continuation of stabilisation work, salvage work for the equipment which went down the slip will be done next week. This will require full closure of the car park while this work is done. This is necessary for both logistical and safety reasons.

The current timeline will be:

Monday, 4 December, Rawene Road will be closed so we can remove existing equipment.
Wednesday to Friday, 6 – 8 December, the carpark will also be closed to facilitate the salvage work.
Wednesday, 6 December, salvage cranes and equipment will be brought in and setup.
Thursday, 7 December, salvage operation will take place.
Friday, 8 December, the salvage cranes and equipment will be removed from the site.

The salvage equipment will be located on the area that has been stabilised (behind the line of stabilisation piles which are already in place).

Please note that in the interest of public safety pedestrian and vehicle access to private car parks via the slip road is now prohibited. If you have any questions or concerns or call the AT Contact Centre on 09 355 3553 for information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

29 November

There was no overnight movement of the site following the second slip which occurred yesterday. Building inspectors have assessed surrounding properties and there is no indication of an active risk.

Our engineering team and technical specialist have been identifying the safety and integrity of the site and reviewing the stabilisation work which was being done.

Options to progress the stabilisation work are being investigated and we expect this work to be paused for at least 1 week.

Pedestrian and vehicle access to private car parks via the slip road is now prohibited.

28 November

At approximately 5pm, there was another slip near the car park. The area has been closed for several weeks after an earlier issue with major subsidence.

A piece of equipment has been carried down the slip. No one has been injured. Auckland Transport and contractors are on site to secure the area and investigate the incident.

WorkSafe NZ has been advised.

22 November

Stabilisation work continues, we appreciate the community’s patience and cooperation as we manage access restrictions to the car park.

Fluid soil conditions have unfortunately made working on the site very challenging, geotechnical specialists have had to make ongoing assessments and adjustments to the piling work.

There continues to be no indication that the stability of surrounding sites and property is at risk. We have had to proceed a lot more slowly and cautiously than we had expected. We now expect that work will be completed by late next week, our contractor expects to finish on Friday, 1 December 2017.

The car park will be fully closed for a day as machinery and equipment is removed via the Rawene Road car park. We will let you know the closure date as soon as we can.

Public Transport – Give it a Go

The Auckland Transport Travel Demand team is offering anyone who currently drives to work in the Birkenhead Town Centre a free two-week public transport trial. Please check the flyer for more information (PDF 970KB).

If you would like help with planning your route to Birkenhead via public transport, you are encouraged to register for this trial. The team will investigate your public transport options for your home-to-work journey and send you recommendations via email. From there you will be able to contact an AT representative via direct reply email if you have further queries

We remind users of the Rawene Road car park to be courteous and mindful of other users as we work through this situation with the community. For more information please call the AT Contact Centre 09 355 3553.

10 November

As highlighted on Wednesday, stabilisation work will begin next Monday, 13 November 2017. The Rawene Road car park will be closed for the entire day so that the site and equipment can be setup.

Please ensure to remove your vehicle from the car park before Monday, 13 November 2017 or it may be towed away to facilitate access to the slip site.

The car park will be re-opened on Tuesday but approximately half of the parking bays will be unavailable due to loading and unloading needs throughout the day.

Please also be reminded that access to private car parks adjacent to the slip site is limited to passenger vehicles only. For your own safety, pedestrian access through the work site is strictly prohibited. Though it may appear at times that the safety fence is “open”, this is to ensure that our work team are able to quickly evacuate the site in case of an emergency. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding on this.

We kindly remind users of the Rawene Road car park to be courteous and mindful of other users as we work through this situation with the community. For more information please call the AT Contact Centre 09 355 3553.

8 November

Stabilisation work at the Rawene Road car park will begin on Monday, 13 November 2017. To stabilise the site, jet grouting will be done along the perimeter of the slip on Rawene Road to insert piles up to a depth of 15m. These piles will be filled with cement mixture which once set, will help secure the site from any further erosion. Once the piles are completed the contractor will lay asphalt over the areas of work and additional assessments will be made to confirm the stability of Rawene Road. The lights in the car park will also be fixed while this work is underway.

We anticipate that works will require a minimum of 2-3 days of site preparation, a minimum of 1 week of stabilisation work and then a minimum of 2-3 days to clean up the site; For a total of approximately 2 weeks. Work will be done during the day only. Rawene Road car park will be fully closed on Monday to facilitate delivery and setup of equipment, and there will be a partial closure of the car park until work is completed. The car park will also be fully closed on the day the contractors remove equipment from the site. Details will be provided once it is available.

Access to private car parks on Rawene Road will be re-opened late Friday, 10 November 2017, but limited to standard passenger vehicles only to minimise vibration. However because of its proximity to the slip, access via the ramp to the east will continue to be blocked. One of our representatives will be visiting with affected property owners and tenants today and tomorrow to provide further information.

Changes to parking restrictions in Birkenhead

Following consultation with the Kaipātiki Local Board and Birkenhead Town Centre Association, the following changes to parking restrictions in Birkenhead will be made;

Rawene Road car park – Once stabilisation work is completed;

All remaining parking bays in the Rawene Road car park will be P120, Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm.
One mobility space will be converted into an ordinary loading zone.
3 new carpool parking spaces will be introduced. This will allow vehicles with 3 or more occupants to park in the bay for as long as they require.
Trucks will no longer be allowed to enter the car park.

All remaining parking bays in the Rawene Road car park will be P120, Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm.
Rawene Road – Existing P30 parking at the north end of Rawene Road will be changed to P60, Monday to Sunday, 8am to 6pm.
P5 Goods and service vehicle loading zones (P5 GSVLZ) – P5 GSVLZs on Mokoia Road and Birkenhead Avenue will be turned into ordinary loading zones. This means that the bay can be used by normal vehicle users (for up to five minutes, to pick up takeaway food/ dry-cleaning etc) as well as the loading and unloading of vehicles.
Mariposa Crescent – Additional P120 parking bays will be introduced.
The existing taxi stand on Rawene Road will be converted into a parking space for a car share programme. This will be managed by a 3rd party operator in cooperation with the Birkenhead Town Centre Association.

Map of temporary parking - Birkenhead

In addition to the above, Auckland Transport is also looking to change existing parallel parking bays on the south side of Mokoia Road (From the Colonial Road intersection to the Huka Road intersection) as well as the north end of Huka Road into angled parking bays. These parking bays will be for all day use. As previously indicated, all day parking is also currently available on John Court Street and on Mahara Avenue.

The Auckland Transport Parking Design team is currently working through a number of technical and logistic requirements to implement these changes, which we are aiming to have in place in the next two to three weeks. Further information will be provided as it becomes available. Auckland Transport will also monitor and continue to work with the local board and business association should further adjustments to parking arrangements be needed.

1 November

Our engineers along with specialist contractors have been onsite to finalise plans for stabilisation work which is expected to commence next week. A new boundary will be formed and we aim to re-open controlled access to private car parks at this time. Our representatives will be meeting with affected property owners/ tenants in the coming week to provide further details.

We regret that while stabilisation work is underway disruption to the Rawene Road car park will be severe. Initial setup of the site will require the closure of the entire car park for a full day as equipment is brought in. Following that, there will be daily cement/ material deliveries which will require approximately half of the remaining parking bays to be kept clear. We anticipate that the works will take approximately 2 weeks.

We will provide further information on alternative parking solutions this Friday. Currently there is all day on-street parking available on John Court Street and on Mahara Avenue.

27 October

Specialist contractors will be onsite from next week to prepare the area for stabilisation with physical work beginning the following week (this work is dependent on the weather). As part of this work a new boundary area will be formed and we are looking to return controlled vehicle access to businesses and residents over the next two weeks. Details around work methodology and controlled access are being finalised and we aim to provide more information early next week. Please note that any rubbish bins within the cordoned area have been moved to the other side of the western fence.

This week Auckland Transport, the Kaipātiki Local Board and the Birkenhead Town Centre Association have also continued to work on alternative all day and short stay parking solutions in Birkenhead. The Birkenhead Town Centre Association will be contacting business owners with further information next week.

We kindly remind users of the Rawene Road car park to be courteous and mindful of others as we work through this situation with the community. For more information please call the AT Contact Centre 09 355 3553.

24 October

There was no significant activity onsite over the weekend. There was some minor crumbling of the edge of the slip after the weekend rainfall. This is debris from the main slip which occurred on 9th October and there is no indication of instability beyond the extremity of the slip.

Two weeks following the slip we are continuing to monitor the site and our current priority is to finalise and implement stabilisation measures so that access to Rawene Road and private parking areas can be re-opened. We are also working to provide further information on alternative parking and travel options later this week. We are working with Auckland Council to appoint an external engineering consultancy to perform a review of the slip. They will be tasked to determine the cause of the slip and to provide recommendations regarding the future viability of the site. Such reviews will also be subject to peer reviews by one or more other external engineering consultancies. When completed the consultant’s report will be made public.

The frequency of these updates will be moving to a weekly or as information becomes available basis.

We also kindly remind users of the Rawene Road car park to be courteous and mindful of other users as we work through this situation with the community. Please check this page for updates or call the AT Contact Centre on 09 355 3553.

20 October

There has been no significant activity onsite today. Technical specialists have provided Auckland Transport their recommendations to stabilise the cordoned area which are currently being reviewed. Once approved, physical work to stabilise the site can begin.

Representatives from Auckland Transport also met with members of the local board and Birkenhead Town Centre Association today to review parking and alternative travel options in the Birkenhead area. Working with the local board and town centre association, we expect to be able to provide further information to the wider public next week.

Further updates will be provided as they becomes available. We also kindly ask that users of the Rawene Road car park be courteous and mindful of other users as we work through this situation with the community.

19 October

There has been no significant activity onsite today. Specialist contractors were on site to complete CCTV works to check on sewerage pipes in the area.

Read the memo (PDF 143KB) outlining the actions taken by Auckland Transport which was also provided to the Kaipātiki Local Board by Auckland Transport’s Chief Infrastructure Officer, Greg Edmonds. Representatives from Auckland Transport will also be meeting with the local board tomorrow to discuss and review recommendations for travel and parking alternatives in and around Birkenhead.

The local board also held its regular monthly meeting yesterday, 18 October 2017, and the following recommendations were made:

Kaipātiki Local Board Local Board Chairperson’s Report Recommendations

That the Kaipātiki Local Board:

a) note the chairperson’s report.
b) thank those who have been dealing with the slip at Rawene Road car park, particularly those whose actions before and after the slip helped to prevent injury to individuals or damage to private property.
c) note that Auckland Transport are undertaking the following actions in response to the slip at Rawene Road car park:
i. development and implementation of appropriate public safety measures and health and safety plans;
ii. geotechnical assessments to determine the stability of the land surrounding the slip;
iii. monitoring of surrounding properties to ensure buildings and their occupants remain safe;
iv. a review of the circumstances that resulted in the failure of the carpark, with input from Auckland Council, and the options to remediate the asset;
v. development and implementation of a parking plan, in consultation with the local board and town centre association, to address short, medium and long-term solutions to parking in the Birkenhead Town Centre; and
vi. investigating options that will reduce the demand for parking at Rawene Road car park, such as promoting alternative transport modes, exploring opportunities for utilising private parking and supporting
employees of local businesses with personalised trip planning advice from the travel demand team.
d) request staff report back to the local board with further information on:
i. initial investigations of options to repair or reinstate the Rawene Road car park;
ii. the short-medium term options for clean-up and restoration of the gully below the slip; and
iii. timing for reopening the service lane/ slip road behind Mokoia Road to restore access to private property.
e) request continuation of regular and timely communication with the local board, local communities of interest and the wider public.
f) request staff to undertake necessary mitigation measures to minimise temporary closure of car parks during the construction of the Highbury corner development.
g) request staff report back on the status of any other known landfills on public land in the local board area, including the risk of subsidence.

* A full copy of the local board report will be made available to the public on the Auckland Council website.

Further updates will be provided as they becomes available. Please check this page for updates or call the AT Contact Centre on 09 355 3553.

17 October

There has been no significant change or activity on site today. Our team is currently investigating further measures to make the site secure on a more permanent basis. Onsite security guards will not be required once this is complete.

Our priority is to determine the stability of the ground underneath the cordoned area, and the possibility of returning some access to private businesses and car parks, but we emphasise that this is still some weeks away and is weather dependent.

We will provide further updates as they become available.

16 October

There was no significant change or activity on site over the weekend and today. Bore drilling work has been completed and the holes have been resealed. Some new slight cracks were detected along the edge of the slip but this was anticipated as a result of the necessary geotechnical work. Further slips along the edges of the cordoned area are possible, particularly if there is further rainfall in the area, so please stay away from these areas.

Access to the road and private parking spaces within the cordoned area will continue to be restricted until suitable ground stabilisation solutions can be assessed and implemented. Part of the geotechnical work underway is to determine that the ground underneath the area which has been cordoned off is stable and has not been compromised due to the slip. Access to the cordoned area is restricted for essential personnel, equipment and vehicles only in order to reduce ground vibration. Auckland Transport and our Council partners are working to perform this work as soon as possible. Part of this work requires us to wait for natural settling of the ground, which is reliant on weather conditions and could take a number of weeks. Further information will be provided to directly impacted residents and businesses as it becomes available.

The Auckland Council Building Inspection team today responded to a request from a member of the public regarding a crack which has appeared inside their building. Our building inspector has inspected both the interior and exterior of the building and there was no indication of building movement or of there being a safety risk.

Should you notice a significant crack or building damage that did not exist prior to the slip please contact the Auckland Transport Call Centre on 09 355 3553, with further details and we will investigate further.

13 October

Geotechnical experts are continuing to retrieve samples for analysis from the site. Early conclusions indicate that the slip occurred as a result of poor quality fill which was exacerbated by the heavy rainfall experienced in Auckland this year. Over a thousand slips have occurred throughout the wider Auckland area and Auckland Council engineers are performing inspections of other fill locations to confirm their integrity.

Auckland Council Building Control engineers have re-affirmed that following their inspections there is no indication of an active risk to surrounding buildings. Work on the slip facing side of the private construction site adjacent to the Rawene Road car park has been halted as a precaution.

From Saturday, 14 October 2017 a specially equipped drone will conduct flights over the area every two days to detect any further geological movement and to gather additional data. Some bore drilling will occur during the weekend for ground water monitoring purposes. Sound dampening equipment has been ordered for the onsite pump and generator which will need to operate continuously until stabilisation work is completed.

Both Councillors Richard Hills and Chris Darby were onsite today for a briefing and will continue to work with Auckland Transport and the wider Council family to address local concerns. The Auckland Transport Parking Design and Travel Demand Planning teams are currently investigating alternative options in the wider Birkenhead area to address both customer and worker needs. Recommendations will be presented to the Kaipātiki Local Board next week for their input.

Boring machine taking core samples

Image: Core sampling drill taking samples from beneath the carpark.

Core samples

Image: Core samples.

12 October

On 12 October 2017, bore holes were dug and ground samples have been retrieved for analysis.

Weather permitting, further drone surveys will be conducted over the coming days.

11 October, 4:18pm

On 9 October 2017, part of the car park slipped away after heavy rain over recent months. Parking and access to vehicles and pedestrians has been restricted to prevent further erosion and as a matter of public safety. Members of the public must not enter the cordoned off area.

Geotechnical engineers are monitoring the site and ensuring the integrity of the site is our priority.

There is no immediate danger to the public or surrounding properties. Safety restrictions have been in place even before the slip occurred and the safety cordon has been extended as a further precaution.

Once the site has stabilised further geotech assessments will be done to investigate solutions to stabilise the area on a permanent basis.

Auckland Council engineers have been on site assessing each of the surrounding buildings and will continue to monitor the area. No active risks have been identified at this time. Auckland Council engineers have also been in contact with the construction site neighbouring the Rawene Road carpark and will continue to assess the situation.

Auckland Transport recognises that the loss of parking will have an impact on the community and interim mitigations will be investigated.

For queries please contact the Auckland Transport Call Centre on 09 355 3553.

Read the media release for more details.

Background and timeline of events

The Rawene Road car park is a legacy North Shore Council carpark that was vested to Auckland Transport upon its formation in 2010. The carpark was built in the early 1960s.
Part of the carpark was built over what appears to be an uncontrolled area of back-fill that had been sealed to provide additional parking.
Inspection of Auckland Transport roads and facilities occur annually and checks of the Rawene Road carpark were stepped up during the winter of 2017 when small cracks were detected in the area of the existing slip (on 16 June). The same area was inspected on 23 August and we decided to actively monitor the site. This decision was made with both Auckland Council and the Kaipātiki Local Board, who were both part of the inspection.
On 14 September, geotechnical specialists conducted a check of the ground and its stability. Daily checks to monitor and measure the cracks also started on 14 September 2017.
There was heavy rain on 14-15 September and the size of the cracks grew in the carpark.
On 19 September, Auckland Transport made the decision to close part of the car park until a full risk assessment could be made. Fencing and signage was ordered and installed the following day.
On 9 October, the major slip occurred and the size of the cordoned area was extended as a further precaution.
On 10 October, Auckland Council engineers completed an assessment of each of the surrounding buildings. No active risks were identified and they are continuing to monitor the area. A pump and generator were brought on site to divert storm water on the eastern side of the slip.
On 11 October, a team of geotechnical specialists and engineering geologists were on site to work through further monitoring and stabilising options. They have marked out sections where they will machine rig bore holes for ground water monitoring.