This update (30 July, 2020) is to let you know how the Wi Neera Drive to Onepoto Shared Pathway and Coastal Resilience Project is progressing.
We are now well on the way to preparing the information required for shaping the best design solution, and the consenting process, for this project along Titahi Bay Road and Wi Neera Drive.
The project includes construction of a shared cycling and pedestrian pathway between Wi Neera Drive and Onepoto, and erosion protection works to enhance coastal resilience along the coastal edge of Titahi Bay Road and Wi Neera Drive.
An experienced team has been assembled to ensure the design solution is appropriate for the area and to also understand what can be done to improve habitat quality within the inner harbour as a result of the project.
The design required for a comprehensive consenting process is significantly more complex than originally envisaged based on all the previous harbour-related works, and includes investigations into coastal processes, rates of erosion and sedimentation, tidal and sub-tidal ecology, and stormwater management.
On the foreshore, leading experts in coastal soft engineering and managing the effects of sea level changes, are investigating how coastal resilience designs can work to protect the harbour edge using bathymetry (seafloor) data, wave modelling and ecological analysis just offshore. Onshore, engineering specialists are investigating possible options for the pathway – and this will draw from the results of geotechnical investigations to help ensure the design will be resilient into the future.
Two preliminary design options are currently being developed and costed. These will be assessed at a workshop with Porirua City councillors and a preferred option identified for Council consideration and approval in October. Confirmation of a preferred option will clarify the project scope for the concept design and consenting stages that will follow.
The team is working closely with Ngāti Toa (who are supportive of the project and will have a representative on the project team) and we will also be inviting feedback from stakeholders and the public on aspects of the proposal before final design decisions are made.
Consenting is planned for 2020-21.
Once completed, it will create a unique, naturally vegetated coastal margin that will help improve the health of the harbour, establish a stunning natural landscape for residents in Takapūwāhia, Elsdon and Titahi Bay, and connect our city. The path will allow for coastal resilience, interaction with the harbour, and become a link between recreational activities on Wi Neera Beach and Onepoto Park.
We appreciate your ongoing patience and interest as we work through this complex project. We will provide ongoing updates as the project develops.