Improving Kenepuru corridor and surrounding streets
Porirua City is growing, and we’re doing a lot of work to manage the increased traffic following the opening of Transmission Gully, other growth in the area and existing trip generators like Kenepuru Hospital and commercial businesses.
Access Kenepuru encompasses a suite of improvements we would like to implement over the next few years. Delivery of these projects is subject to funding, however we are planning for them so we can proceed if / when funding is approved.
On this page you'll be able to find out what's planned (subject to funding), what’s underway and what’s already been completed.
If you have any questions or would like to receive updates, please email us.
On this page you’ll find more information about:
Latest updates
Lower Main Drive accessway – May 2023
We’re receiving great feedback following the opening of the new accessway on Lower Main Drive for Bishop Viard College, the Seventh-day Adventist Church and Te Ngākau Tapu Parish. We’ve also finished construction of a new carpark for the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
This work was required because the existing accessways for the college, church and parish off Kenepuru Drive needed to be closed to enable future upgrades to the Kenepuru Drive intersections with Lower Main Drive / Lyttelton Ave and Titahi Bay Road. These intersection upgrades are currently in the planning and design stage.
This image shows the new accessway on Lower Main Drive
Current and upcoming projects (subject to funding)
Our current and upcoming projects include:
Raiha Street / Kenepuru Drive roundabout
Subject to funding, we are planning to replace the temporary roundabout at the Raiha Street / Kenepuru Drive intersection with permanent features in 2023.
The temporary roundabout took the place of a T-junction and was installed in December 2020 as a trial, ahead of the completion of Transmission Gully and its connection to Kenepuru Drive.
At the time there was a high level of uncertainty about the impacts from Transmission Gully and we wanted to see if a roundabout was the right way to go with a view to making this a permanent feature if we could realise the expected safety and efficiency benefits.
Benefits of the roundabout
After just over two years we are seeing fewer crashes and better traffic flows. Prior to the roundabout we had 14 crashes in 5 years (9 non-injury and 5 minor crashes). Since installation of the roundabout our data shows 2 non-injury crashes.
Buses and trucks can now make turns smoothly, vehicles speeds have slowed and there is better access for cyclists and pedestrians to cross the intersection more easily and safely.
We have reviewed and monitored the temporary roundabout and have taken in the lessons and made further improvements into the permanent design.
The intention is to provide a cost-effective solution to this intersection.
Te Ara Tawa and Ferry Place shared paths plus Lyttelton Ave / Walton Leigh Ave intersection upgrade
We’d like to provide an improved, flat, safe and easy to use direct link for pedestrians and cyclists from Kenepuru Drive to the city centre and to public transport via Lyttelton Avenue. We’d also like to strengthen the east/west connection across Lyttelton Avenue and Walton Leigh Avenue so people can easily get from the city centre to Te Ara Tawa and to public transport options such as the train station and buses.
At the same time as we are widening footpaths, we're also looking at measures to slow traffic down and encourage large heavy vehicles to use alternative routes as well as modifying Walton Leigh roundabout; all to increase pedestrian and cycling safety.
Why are we doing this?
Currently there is a lack of easy pedestrian and cyclist access between Kenepuru Landing and the city centre. The current Lyttelton Avenue footpath is narrow and interrupted by multiple laybys.
The best route to enter Te Manawa, the heart of the city centre, is from Lower Main Drive, across Kenepuru Drive and along Lyttelton Avenue to Ferry Place. The roundabout at the Lyttelton Avenue / Walton Leigh Avenue intersection currently does not make this easy for pedestrians with no direct surface crossing points.
An option for how these shared paths could look and how the intersection could be improved was available at public drop-in sessions in July 2021. Since then, the concepts have been refined and we hope to share these with the community later in 2023.
Kenepuru Drive intersections with Lyttelton Ave, Lower Main Drive and Titahi Bay Road
Improvements at all three intersections will make it easier and safer for pedestrians, and cyclists to get to and from the city centre and will keep traffic moving safely and efficiently. This is going to be especially important over the coming decade as growth is expected to continue.
Why are we proposing these changes?
These intersections and side roads are very busy and significant growth in the area is seeing more people walking and cycling which in turn puts increasing demand on existing crossing points. This growth, as well as changes in traffic patterns and volumes along Kenepuru Drive, resulting from the opening of Transmission Gully, is causing further delays for motorists and safety concerns for those crossing. This is predicted to get worse as growth continues.
Development of Kenepuru Landing and Summerset on the Landing means the Lower Main Drive/Kenepuru Drive intersection needs upgrading to provide safe access for residents, now and in the future. These improvements will also give residents of Kenepuru Landing an alternative access to Bluff Road and Hospital Drive and will enable public transport to service Kenepuru Landing and Summerset on the Landing.
Any work to improve the Kenepuru Drive intersections at Lower Main Drive and Lyttelton Ave will impact on the Titahi Bay Road roundabout and vice versa.
It is for this reason we are currently reviewing previous concepts for Lower Main Drive and Lyttelton Ave intersections, looking at improvement options for Titahi Bay Road roundabout and assessing how they would all work together.
Raiha Street / Prosser Street corridor study
The Raiha Street / Prosser Street corridor is a busy part of the network with over 11,000 vehicle movements daily – an increase since Transmission Gully opened.
This corridor study is in the early scoping stages to identify key issues and opportunities to improve safety and accessibility in this area.
Completed projects
This roundabout was completed in November 2021 and provides a safe turning and crossing point for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.
The access to Kenepuru Station has been transformed, with improved lighting, resurfacing, vegetation improvements around Porirua Stream, removal of trip hazards and the installation of art work.
Improvements to these intersections were completed in 2021 to manage the extra traffic volumes expected following the opening of Transmission Gully.
Work included:
- Raiha Street/ Broken Hill Road: to reduce the wide conflict area and the risk for all road users. (June 2021) View the plan
- Raiha Street/ Prosser Street: construction of a mountable roundabout to reduce speeds and near misses between vehicles. (May 2021) View the plan
- Main Road/ Wall Place: widen the intersection to reduce the delays for exiting traffic. (June 2021)
A safe crossing point for north bound cyclists on Kenepuru Drive to access the Porirua Stream Pathway was completed in 2021.
