With the holidays only days away, please remember that even if our worksites appear to be inactive, you must stay out as it is still an active construction site. 

Over the Christmas/New Year time, there will be vehicles and machinery operating around Melling as KiwiRail remove rail infrastructure and overhead lines at Melling.

The new year will also bring a lot more construction and with it some disruption.

For now though, we want to thank you for your support, patience, and understanding throughout the year as work on Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi has continued to build momentum.

Your kindness toward our crews, your support for local businesses and the many events happening across Lower Hutt over summer and into the new year, makes a real difference.

We want to wish everyone a safe and relaxing summer, look after one another, remember to shop local, and we look forward to keeping you updated as we move into a big year of work in 2026.

Read what's been happening and what's to come in the latest update below:

• Melling Station closing on 24 December
• Additional parking at Petone
• Upcoming closures reminder
• January night works
• Path closure update
• Saturday market access change
• Other updates
• Business update: Local supplier events and procurement

Melling station closes next week

Melling train station closes next week (Wednesday 24 December) for approximately three years to allow construction of the new Melling interchange and bridge over Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt River to progress.

From January 2026, following KiwiRail’s annual maintenance programme, services on the Melling line will start and end at Western Hutt.

More details can be found at metlink.org.nz/mellingstation

Additional parking now available at Petone

With the Melling station closing on 24 December, an additional temporary park and ride facility has been created at Petone to help mitigate disruption to commuters.

The new car park has over 100 new car parks within walking distance of the Petone station and will be operational until approximately 2031, when Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi is scheduled to conclude.

Upcoming closures

Reminder, several roads will be closing from 6 January as work on the new SH2 interchange at Melling and bridge over Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt River progresses.

These closures include:

• Queens Drive, between Rutherford and High Streets
• Pharazyn Street, from around 150m north of Marsden Street to Block Road (until approximately 2029)
• Block Road (permanently closed), and  
• the northern section of the Riverbank car park (permanently closed).

These closures will give us space to move and build the new train station, shift utilities, make improvements to surrounding roads and improve the ground to support the new interchange and river bridge. It will also allow us to work safely and as quickly as possible.

More information on these closures is available here

December/January night works

We’ll be working overnight on both SH2 and Rutherford Street for approximately six nights from 6 January. There will also be staged southbound shoulder closures on State Highway 2 from 22 December while KiwiRail removes rail and overhead lines around Melling. 

• 22 December 2025 to 6 January 2026: KiwiRail daytime works: southbound shoulder closures between Melling and Normandale Bridge; traffic management along Pharazyn St
• Tuesday 6 to Thursday 15 January 2026: Changes to Melling intersection: lane closures for approximately eight nights starting on 6 January between Harbour View Rd and Tirohanga Rd. 
• Tuesday 6 to Wednesday 14 January 2026: Rutherford St realignment and traffic island removal – six nights

We’ll be removing the pedestrian crossing between Tirohanga Rd and Block Rd, installing upgraded lighting, additional fencing and stormwater facilities, and improving the existing footpath between Tirohanga and Harbour View roads. Once these changes are made, pedestrians will need to use the crossing at Harbour View to get to and from Lower Hutt. 

Work will also be happening on Rutherford St as we realign the road, remove the roundabout and traffic islands, install a shared path between Melling Link and the pedestrian crossing near Woolworths, and install upgraded lighting and signage. 

Later in January, we need to install around 2km of steel safety barriers from around 500m north of the Block/Tirohanga roads intersection, and finishing at Normandale Bridge. Installing these barriers will require several overnight closures along these sections of SH2 – we'll have more details around the exact timing of these once they’re confirmed. 

Once these barriers are in place, we can start building the on and off-ramps for the new interchange. To make room, lanes will narrow to three metres and the speed limit will drop to 70km/h. These barriers will remain in place until around 2029. 

The new layout will result in a slightly longer travel time through the site, particularly while road users adjust to it. However, based on our modelling, we don’t expect the maximum delay through the area to exceed five minutes, even during the morning and evening peaks.

Path closure update

When Block Rd and a portion of Pharazyn St (from just north of Marsden St) closes, and the steel safety barriers are installed on the southbound shoulder of SH2 (later in January - 500m north of the Block Rd/Tirohanga Rd intersection to Normandale Bridge), the existing pedestrian crossing over SH2 from Tirohanga Rd to Block Rd will be closed.

Pedestrians/cyclists from Tirohanga Rd heading towards Lower Hutt will need to use the existing crossing at the bottom of Harbour View Dr, followed by the existing crossing over SH2, before crossing the Melling Link Bridge to the eastern side of the river (or vice versa for the return journey).

When Queens Dr (between Rutherford St and High St) and the northern section of the Riverbank car park closes, one of our initial tasks is to remove the roundabout island on Rutherford St. This work will be undertaken at night to minimise traffic disruption. We anticipate this task to be completed by 19th January 2026.

At the same time, Wellington Electricity will be relocating cables on Rutherford St, this work is estimated to be completed by late February 2026. Whilst these works are being undertaken, the shared path alongside the river will remain open between Melling Link Bridge and Ewen Bridge, with pedestrians also able to use the existing footpath on Rutherford St. This is illustrated on the map below.

Once the roundabout on Rutherford St and the Wellington Electricity works are complete (estimate late February 2026), a temporary cycle path will be installed on the northbound lane on Rutherford St, from the existing pedestrian crossing (in line with the back of Woolworth’s car park), heading north past Harvey Norman, and connecting to the existing Melling Link Bridge. The shared path adjacent to the river will then terminate in line with the closed section of the Riverbank car park, as shown on the map below. Updated signage will be installed when this route changes, with updates shared on our Facebook, website and in this newsletter.

Saturday market access change

With the closure of the northern section of the Riverbank car park, the Saturday market will shift slightly south. From 6 January, access in and out of the market area will be from the southern end only.

Everything will still be running — you’ll just come in from the southern end, and it may be a little busier for the first few weeks as everyone gets used to the new layout. Please take a little extra care when traveling through the area and allow a bit more time.

More information on the Riverbank market is available on the Hutt City Council website.

Demolition work a focus for Daly Street 

Work has continued at the Daly Street end of town as pre-demolition work remains a key focus. Over the past couple of weeks our team has been consulting with tenants and building owners in the area bounded by High Street, Daly Street and Andrew’s Ave regarding noise and vibration prior to internal strip out of retail premises at the far end of High Street.

This work is earmarked to get underway in the first quarter of 2026. Work on the project will dial back in the lead up to Christmas and will resume from 5 January 2026.

Service lane closure

In mid-January, the service lane on the south side of 4 Daly Street will need to close for some time as asbestos removal gets underway. We are working with impacted parties to ensure crucial deliveries/collections and parking remain viable, as public parking bays on the south-bound lane of Daly Street may need to close as a safety measure during this time. 

Cable relocation underway

Wellington Electricity have continued their work to relocate underground electricity cables that are currently within Te Wai Takamori construction zone. Greater Wellington has asked Wellington Electricity to do the work before major construction gets underway in the New Year.  

Digital message boards have been erected to alert road users. Temporary traffic management may include lane closures, stop/go vehicle management, or removal of some parking.

Work on the project has now shut down for Christmas and will resume again on Monday 5 January.

Stay up to date with what’s happening and why: updates are posted regularly on Wellington Electricity's website.

Business update

Local supplier events: getting ready for the work ahead

In November, we held two supplier events to help local businesses prepare for upcoming work. These sessions shared what’s ahead, outlined how procurement will work, and helped suppliers connect with the teams they may be working with.

The City Link Bridge session brought local suppliers together with potential lead contractors. We covered upcoming opportunities, the procurement process, and key contacts.

One supplier described the value of the event beyond meeting the lead suppliers for the project: “the bonus is I have also met other local suppliers about other local works and potential collaborations. We don't usually get the events to meet and talk like this”.

Since the event, suppliers have followed up with lead contractors and we understand at least one local supplier has connected with a lead contractor about a potential piece of work. There was also strong interest in the Jobs and Skills Hub support available, as suppliers look ahead to staffing and training needs as construction ramps up.

Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi construction session looked across the wider work programme and the range of packages that will roll out over time. It was a chance to talk through the types of services likely to be needed and to help businesses understand where they might fit.

If your business wants to be considered for upcoming work and you have not registered yet, please visit our website. You can also email our procurement team.

This creates a record of your capabilities and contact details for future procurement activity.

From left: Lee Hunter (Te Āti Awa), Matt Fairweather (Alliance Project Director), Lower Hutt Mayor Ken Laban, Hutt City Council CEO Jo Miller, Hutt City Council Economy & Development Director Jon Kingsbury, Dr Leanne Ivil (Weltec/Whitireia), and Neil McDonald (Weltec/Whitireia).

More information

Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi includes the SH2 Melling Transport Improvements, crucial flood protection and river restoration work, and city centre infrastructure upgrades.

It is a partnership between Greater Wellington, Hutt City Council, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika and Ngāti Toa Rangatira.

You can find out more about current work that's underway here.

Otherwise for more information on the projects that make up this transformational programme of work, please:

• visit our website
• like us on Facebook
• send us an email
• subcribe to our monthly newsletter