Expressway design reflects the special character of the Kāpiti Coast and leaves a quality legacy for communities.
The 18-kilometre Mackays to Peka Peka Expressway (M2PP) traverses the Kāpiti Coast, north of Wellington. It is part of the Wellington Northern Corridor project and a Road of National Significance.
Boffa Miskell’s involvement extended over 10 years from the early scoping and feasibility stages, through the planning and consent process, conceptual and detailed design and into the final construction and monitoring phase. Boffa Miskell provided planning, ecology, landscape architecture, urban design and cultural professional services to the project as part of the M2PP Alliance team.
The Boffa Miskell multi-disciplinary team provided critical input and analysis and assessment of route alignment and design options, and in informing public consultation. The team was instrumental in developing the Notice of Requirement, resource consent applications and associated assessments of environmental effects. We presented expert evidence in planning, ecology, landscape planning, landscape design and urban design at the resource consent hearings, including the Board of Inquiry hearings.
Our assessment work was influential in determining the final route alignment, taking into account the effects on ecology, landscape and urban environments, and advice on how to avoid, remedy or mitigate adverse effects.
It is no mean feat to construct a four-lane expressway through established communities and extensive landscape and ecological mitigation measures were required to achieve this in a sensitive manner.
The legacy delivered by the project provides recreational, ecological, cultural expression and open space benefits to the community on a large scale through:
- 140-hectare of new native planting bordering the Expressway, 10.5 hectares of restored or created wetlands, 6 km of stream riparian planting,
- 16 kilometres of a shared pathway for cyclists, walkers and horse riders.
- Quality ‘hard landscape’ components such as the simple clean lines of the bridges, bridge abutment faces, noise-attenuation walls and retaining walls.
- Expression of iwi and community values through high-quality detailed design and finishes, particularly where pedestrians and cyclists interact with the Expressway at local road underpasses, Waikanae River, and the cycleway.
