Ponsonby Road pedestrian improvements project updates Ponsonby Road pedestrian improvements project updates
2017
20 November
Improvements to 7 of the 8 intersections are now complete.
The remaining work on the Collingwood Street intersection will begin in early January 2018 and should be complete in February.
4 September
We are now halfway through the project, with work at the Norfolk, Douglas, and Lincoln Street intersections with Ponsonby Road complete.
- Work is now underway on the Anglesea Street intersection with Ponsonby Road and is expected to take 7 weeks.
- Work on the Brown St intersection began today, 4 September, and will take approximately 6 weeks.
- Work on the Pollen St intersection will be complete by mid-November 2017.
- Some remedial work needs to be undertaken at Mackelvie Street. This is expected to take around 8 days and will take place outside business hours to minimise inconvenience.
- New street furniture will be installed in November after most of the construction work at the intersections has been done.
- The Collingwood Street and Ponsonby Road intersection improvements have been deferred until early 2018 to allow for the completion of private construction works nearby.
23 August
Work on the intersection of Anglesea St with Ponsonby Rd is now underway.
The intersection will be closed while work is underway for up to 7 weeks. Traffic management is in place.
19 May
Work on the Stage 3: Douglas Street and Norfolk Streets began on Monday, 15 May.
Road closures are in place at the intersections of both streets with Ponsonby Road and traffic management is in place. The work is scheduled to take 4 weeks to complete.
13 April
Severe weather and underground drainage issues have delayed the Stage 2: Ponsonby Road and MacKelvie Street streetscaping and upgrade works. We expect to complete these works on or before 12 May.
10 March
Stage 2 Ponsonby Road and Mackelvie Street streetscaping and upgrade works will begin on Tuesday 14 March. This includes widening and upgrading the footpath and installing new street furniture and a speed table that will make turning
Work is expected to take 3 weeks - depending on weather and underground conditions.
Download the latest project update (PDF 852KB)
28 February
Read the media release: Ponsonby Road pedestrian improvements programme begins.
24 February
From 27 February 2017, Lincoln Street at the intersection with Ponsonby Road will be closed for the first stage of pedestrian improvement works. These works are expected to take approximately 3 weeks.
Access to Lincoln Street via John Street/Richmond Road is unaffected.
We had planned to undertake works at the intersection of Norfolk Street and Ponsonby Road at the same time as the Lincoln Street works; however, the Norfolk Street works will now be done at a later date to minimise disruption to residents of both streets.
21 February
We will begin main construction works for the Ponsonby Road pedestrian improvements project from Monday, 27 February. Stage 1 of the project is taking place at the Lincoln Road and Norfolk Street intersections on Ponsonby Road. These works are expected to take approximately 3 weeks and will involve restricted vehicular access to both streets from Ponsonby Road.
The remainder of the works
Our contractor, Downer NZ, will have a comprehensive Traffic Management Plan in place to assist pedestrians and motorists and ensure minimal disruption for the duration of this project.
Download the final overall plan of pedestrian improvements along Ponsonby Road (PDF 3.3MB)
13 February
Our contractor Downer NZ has begun preliminary investigations along Ponsonby Road in advance of physical construction commencing in late February.
These investigations will take place at eight streets that intersect with Ponsonby Road: Collingwood Street, Lincoln Street, Anglesea Street, Norfolk Street, Douglas Street, Brown Street, MacKelvie Street and Pollen Street.
We have instructed our contractor to meet with the businesses on each corner to discuss timing prior to works starting.
Read more about the preliminary investigations (PDF 533KB)
2016
2 November 2016
We have released the consultation and final decisions report and updated final plans for the Ponsonby Road pedestrian improvements.
1 August 2016
Feedback has closed for Ponsonby Road pedestrian improvements.
15 July 2016
We are seeking feedback on the detailed designs for this project until 31 July 2016.
Public engagement
July 2016
From 15 to 31 July 2016, AT and the Waitematā Local Board requested public feedback on detailed design options for street furniture, paving materials, and plantings. The improvements focus on intersections along Ponsonby Road between Lincoln Street and Pollen Street.
We received 36 responses and as a result of this feedback and a further consultation with the Local Board, we decided to::
- Use basalt setts to pave the side ramps of the new raised tables and exposed concrete for the table tops.
- Install a mix of park and street benches on the new footpath build-outs.
- Install Harrogate bike racks on the new footpath build-outs.
- Plant pōhutukawa trees in the new trial planter boxes on the central flush median on Mackelvie Street for the trial period of 6 to 12 months.
- Install a new pedestrian refuge crossing just south of the Pollen Street/Ponsonby Road Intersection.
Read the public feedback and final decisions report (PDF 1.93MB)
Proposed detailed design elements
1. Paving materials – footpath build-outs
Ponsonby Rd and small sections of the side streets are affected by the footpath build-outs.
To keep a consistent look and feel paving materials have been selected to match the existing paving. For Ponsonby Rd this is asphalt, and for most side roads this is concrete.
2. Paving materials – raised tables
We sought feedback on 2 paving options proposed for the raised tables. Both options would create a contrast between the footpath and the table to alert pedestrians that they are crossing the road and need to give way to vehicles.
Option A: top of table paved with exposed concrete and side ramps paved with basalt setts.
Option B: top of table paved with exposed concrete and side ramps paved with plain concrete.
3. Seating
We sought feedback on 3 seating options that could be installed at each intersection build-out.
Option A: Park bench: Cast iron and hardwood bench with natural wax finish, includes a back rest. Durable and easy to maintain.
Option B - Street bench: Cast iron and hardwood bench with natural wax finish, without a back rest. Durable and easy to maintain.
Option C - Concrete cubes: Set of 2 or 3 basalt concrete cubes (500mm x 550mm) that are good for informal social seating and fit well into the limited space at the intersections. Durable and easy to maintain.
Option A and B are seating designs already used on Ponsonby Road. Option C is a new design.
4. Planting
The project includes new planting at 2 locations:
Outside 167 Ponsonby Road (close to Collingwood Street)
A native Tānekaha (Celery Pine) tree will be planted in this location. We have selected the species as it is ideal for use in a limited space next to a busy road: it has a narrow upright form, is hardy to windy conditions, and does not drop a lot of leaves.
Tānekaha trees have already been planted at other locations along Ponsonby Road.
Mackelvie Street (trial planter boxes)
We sought feedback on 2 tree species options that could be planted in the trial planter boxes on Mackelvie Street:
- Option A – Cabbage tree: Hardy species and have low maintenance requirements.
- Option B – Pōhutukawa: Hardy species and have low maintenance requirements.
5. Bike racks
We sought feedback on 2 bike-rack options that could be installed at various footpath build-outs. 13 bike racks will be installed on various footpath build-outs: Collingwood Street (3), Anglesea Street (3), Mackelvie Street (3), Douglas Street (2) and Pollen Street (2).
Option A - Harrogate style: Low maintenance bike rack that looks good. Easy to lock bike frame to, but difficult if you want to lock both wheels. Width: 350mm. Existing bike racks located on Ponsonby Road are in this style.
Option B - Sheffield style: Low maintenance and looks good. Easy to use and complete bike frame can be secured to stand. Width: 800mm.
6. Rubbish bins
Two existing litter bins will be changed over from single bins to joint or dual recycling bins at these locations: Brown Street (1) and Pollen Street (1).
Existing rubbish bins will be adjusted to new levels at footpath build-outs.
View the detailed design for the general footpath layouts for Ponsonby Road and side streets (PDF 1MB).
November-December 2015
From 16 November to 7 December 2015, we invited feedback on 2 proposed options of improvements.
Some streets had 2 different proposal options, others had the same improvements under both options. Both options were similar but Option 2 had extended footpath build-outs on some side streets, which could provide more space for street furniture and further enhance the pedestrian environment.
Proposal maps
Feedback
AT received 129 feedback responses on the proposals, including comments on all the different project elements.
Both options received more support than opposition, and of the two, Option 2 received more support overall. The results were:
- Option 1: 56% Support; 25% Neutral; 12% Oppose; 7% No response.
- Option 2: 63% Support; 15% Neutral; 11% Oppose; 11% No response.
After considering the feedback, AT and Waitematā Local Board decided to proceed with Option 2. However, in response to comments received from the community, additional changes were made. We:
- Included a new pedestrian refuge on Ponsonby Road close to Pollen Street.
- Included a new coloured surface laneway treatment on Mackelvie Street.
- Began further design investigations for central island planting/greening option on Mackelvie Street.
- Forwarded feedback that was out of the scope of this project to the local board, other AT business units, and Auckland Council for further investigation.
Feedback and decisions report
Download the public feedback and decisions report (PDF 1.22MB)