IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN Maintaining Access On The Otago Peninsula And Securing Access for the Future Josh von Pein Gareth Evans IPWEA NZ CONFERENCE 2017 DUNEDIN The Otago Peninsula – Geography IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN • The Otago Peninsula is a long, hilly indented finger of land that forms the easternmost part of Dunedin, New Zealand. • The peninsula lies south-east of Otago Harbour and runs parallel to the mainland for 20 km, with a maximum width of 9 km. It is joined to the mainland at the south-west end by a narrow isthmus about 1.5 km wide The Otago Peninsula - Tourism IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN • The Otago Peninsula is well known for its outstanding rural landscapes and unique wildlife experiences coupled with New Zealand’s only castle (Larnach Castle), gardens and early settler buildings • The vast majority of the Peninsula is designated Outstanding Landscape Area, Coastal Preservation Area or Landscape Conservation Area by the Dunedin District Plan The Otago Peninsula - Ecotourism IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN • Otago Peninsula, together with the wildlife that exists on and around the area, is of considerable economic and ecological importance to Dunedin city. • The ecosystem is fragile in this area and contains many endangered species. These species attract ecotourism, which allows funding to help protect those species, and provides GDP and employment in the area • David Bellamy has said ‘In my opinion the Otago Peninsula is the finest example of ecotourism in the world’. The Otago Peninsula – Roads IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN • The Peninsula is serviced by two main routes: • The Portobello Rd (low road) route immediately adjacent to Otago Harbour is narrow, winding and susceptible to tidal surge, sea level rise and land instability, and; • The alternative Highcliff Rd (high road), which is an inland, narrow winding hilly route with a history of road drop outs and landslips Peninsula Geology - Highcliff Road (high road) risks IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN Highcliff Road is formed in a combination of cut and fill through highly variable rock, and alluvial and erosional products derived from the rock. Large permeability contrasts between the different rock/soil units has resulted in springs, perched groundwater, and artesian conditions that may have initiated ancient and more recent land movement in susceptible areas. The Otago Peninsula– Alternative roads IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN • Varied history of attempts to connect the peninsula, including a proposed extension to the Ocean Beach railway, rules uneconomic in 1875. • And in 1886 the Otago Harbor Board Act authorized the construction of a bridge from Dunedin to the Peninsula, although this was never built. • Instead tenders were let and a road was cut and formed around the turn of the century, of which many rock staked walls, cuttings and fill embankments still stand. Highcliff Road – Landslips IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN There are currently four landslip remediation projects on-going. Drainage Assessment: - Close to 40% are undersized Highcliff Road – Safety IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN • Safety - KiwiRap suggests personal risk profile along Highcliff is High, as indicated by black line below. • 1150m of wire rope and 600 m of timber rail barrier installation respectively while undertaking landslip remediation works. Back Roads – Hoopers Inlet - 2013 IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN Peninsula Road Safety Improvements IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN • The Peninsula Road Safety Improvements Project is the continuation through to completion of a series of improvements to Portobello Road (RP 1104 – 16000) and Harington Point Road (RP 0 – 10,100) referred to as ‘Peninsula Road’ • The Peninsula Road is a key commuter route and access to the Otago Peninsula and is an important tourist route to the key peninsula tourist destinations Peninsula Road Safety Improvements - Safety IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN • High accident frequency. These are typically minor and severe accidents given the low speed environment. • Insufficient width. Many corners on the existing corridor do not have an available swept path that will accommodate lane true heavy vehicles; these being predominantly buses and tour coaches. • No provision for cyclists. The existing narrow corridor has no provision for cyclists, despite there being an existing cycle demand; and Peninsula Road Safety Improvements – Journey Time IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN • The combination of tight bends with poor visibility, narrow lanes and the absence of pull off areas for slow vehicles, compromises journey times; and • Inundation of the carriageway during high (spring) tides and storm events. • Either slower vehicle trips, or increased journey length through utilising alternate route. Peninsula Road Safety Improvements - Resilience IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN • High maintenance demand of verge and carriageways where sea and wave inundation routinely occurs; and • High maintenance demand with respect to the historic seawall being in a dilapidated condition; and • High maintenance demand with respect to landslides and slips Peninsula Road Safety Improvements – Current State IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN • The remaining sections, in their existing state, are narrow dual carriageway roads with no shoulders, generally bound by the harbour and seawall on one side, and the land topography on the other. Peninsula Road Safety Improvements – Current State IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN • The primary issues to be addressed by the project are: • Winding road geometry. There are limited safety margins and systems throughout the length of the road; • No allowance in the carriageway for pedestrians and cyclists; • Minimal provision of safe public transport facilities and bus stops; • Safety concerns in poor weather conditions as well as at night; • Existing heritage rock seawall is dilapidated and needs to be replaced (this has been assessed); and • Existing carriageway is frequently inundated by higher tides and storm events. Peninsula Road Safety Improvements – Proposal IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN • Will be generally, via reclamation of an average 6.0 m width of the Otago Harbour, construction of a new rock seawall, construction of widened road surfaces (to include the provision of a shared cycle/pedestrian space) and other related safety improvements. Peninsula Road Safety Improvements – Proposal IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN • The final cross-section design adopted for the Peninsula Connection is typically: • A 3.0m wide shared path, with 1.2/1.35m wide shoulders and 3.0/3.2m wide traffic lanes at the city end of the route where there is more traffic • A slightly narrower 2.5m shared path, with 0.7m wide shoulders and 3.0m wide traffic lanes for Harington Point Road, beyond Portobello, where traffic volumes are less Peninsula Road Safety Improvements – Proposal IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN • There are some exceptions to the typical cross section in order to accommodate local topography and constraints • The shared path and carriageway design was selected as it provided the best compromise that will suit all road users within the limited corridor width available • Pullover bays – what is proposed? • Concrete separators – what are we doing? • Location of beach access – where will steps be provided? Peninsula Road Safety Improvements – Proposal IPWEA N Z CON FEREN CE 2 0 1 7 DUN EDIN • The costs for completing the Peninsula Connection improvements will be significantly higher than originally forecast during the 2015/16–2024/25 Council Long Term Plan budget • The NZ Transport Agency has reviewed the revised costings for the project and has agreed to fund their share in full, whilst DCC will consider their additional contribution as part of the 2018/19 – 2027/28 Long Term Plan budget • Although the higher price is not ideal, it is good to have completed a robust cost estimate that demonstrates value to the community.