Bypass related newsitems

• • Inner City Bypass Project scoops ninth award

    • 27 Nov 2008
    • Wellington Inner City Bypass information
    • Wellington's Inner City Bypass Project (ICB) has scooped its ninth award at last night's New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards event held at Te Papa.
    • Automatically tagged as:
    • bypass
    • transport
  
  

• • Te Karo Park

    • 8 Aug 2008
    • Eye of the Fish
    • Following fast on the footsteps of the previous post on Courtenay Park, which some are labeling as ‘grim’, I’d like to put forward another contender for the title of ‘grim urban park’: yes, that of the SLOAP that is the ‘park’ of the Bypass.
    • Tagged as:
    • architecture
    • bypass
    327 Willis Street, Wellington
  
  

• • Art at your feet

    • 30 Jul 2007
    • WellUrban
    • While there's a lot going on around the Buckle St section of the bypass, Karo Drive itself is going to take a long time to integrate into the texture of the city (sad, empty buildings don't help). Some citizens have taken things into their own hands and decided to give that most anonymous and downtrodden of icons, the pedestrian walkway pictogram, a bit of individuality.
    • Tagged as:
    • bypass
    • art

    • This WellUrban newsitem has 10 comments.

      • ‘Yes! I had a similar problem once when I was staying in an exurban sprawling suburb in SoCal for 6 weeks. Most american suburbs are like that... My mood was seriously affected, I just felt down. And everytime I managed to get into the city and walk some ’
      • ‘If you want sterile, try Las Vegas. I once spent a couple of weeks there, based in a townhouse complex way off in the southern suburbs, and couldn't quite work out what was bothering me about the place (apart from the obvious tackiness, SUV infestation a’
      • ‘ Rudy Guliuni took the helm, "cleaned up" the place and now the city is as contrived and sterile as your typical shopping mall.At least you don't get mugged any more, and the subway is now a dream to ride.Seriously, there is nothing "sterile" about NYC, ’

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• • The Power of the Dark Side

    • 11 Jun 2007
    • The Wellingtonista
    • So... that bypass, yeah it's preeeety awful. Yes-sir-ee bob. We definitely don't like the bypass... (looks around conspiratorially)... So the other night we were in Thorndon doing the grocery shopping and we caught a cab home. The driver says, "I'll just take the motorway" and BAM we were back to Mt Cook in, like, 10mins instead of 20.
    • Tagged as:
    • bypass
    • transport

    • This Wellingtonista newsitem has 10 comments.

      • ‘Small live chickens for their communes.’
      • ‘To make that darkside even darker we could use that ad money for a booze entertainment fund. And maybe even give-aways for all the suckers loyal readers’
      • ‘Speaking of dark sides, you know that if Wellingtonista ran (useful, complementary, holding hands together) ads, a parttime contributor could be employed. It would be wrong of me not to point out this obvious opportunity.’

      You can view the remaining comments and submit your own here.

  
  

• • Toytown

    • 10 Jun 2007
    • WellUrban
    • I've been wondering when the houses relocated for the bypass would be re-inhabited, thus bringing some life back to a ravaged district. Surely it wouldn't be long before they were snapped up? But no: Karo Drive and Tonks Grove are going to look like toytown for quite some time to come.It turns out that under the Public Works Act, Transit has to look for the original owners or their descendants, and then offer the properties to them at market prices.
    • Tagged as:
    • architecture
    • bypass

    • This WellUrban newsitem has 12 comments.

      • ‘That's a pity: I hate to see narrow legalities and the interests of former owners (who may or may not want them anyway) ahead of the life of the city. Transit must have known about that sort of thing years ago, any if they'd actually cared about what hap’
      • ‘As I understand it, there are legal reasons why you can't lease out surplus PWA buildings while you're looking for their previous owners. Something to do with not affecting the interests of who they might go back to’
      • ‘"they will well remember how all-but impossible it was to evict the tenants that were in them before needing to move the houses for the bypass."Rubbish. The vast majority of these houses were sitting empty for years (decades in some cases) before constru’

      You can view the remaining comments and submit your own here.

  
  

• • Section of Victoria Street to be reopened making road two-way

    • 5 Jun 2007
    • Wellington Inner City Bypass information
    • Transit New Zealand will reopen a section of Victoria Street this week making the road two-way.
    • Automatically tagged as:
    • bypass
    • transport
  
  

• • In Memoriam

    • 24 Apr 2007
    • WellUrban
    • I can finally mention what I've known about unofficially for a while: it's been publicly announced that New Zealand Memorial Park will be built in front of the old Museum on Buckle St. It's not quite what I originally speculated about when demolition of the service station first started, since it will be where Buckle St is now rather than on the north side of it, and there's an additional nice touch in that the "Greening the Quays" project will be extended up Taranaki St to the park.
    • Tagged as:
    • architecture
    • bypass
    • transport

    • This WellUrban newsitem has 10 comments.

      • ‘i love xkcd.co’
      • ‘Umm. But moving the road over, and the park where it is now blows away any chance of trenching a tunnel through next to buckle street in that vacant space...:-\I guess it was too much to ever expect anyway... Is odd the whole having just build the new bi’
      • ‘Slightly off topic, but over at xkcd.com: Highway Engineer Pranks’

      You can view the remaining comments and submit your own here.

  
  

• • Carnage on the corner

    • 18 Apr 2007
    • The Wellingtonista
    • Fancy a little accident spotting while you enjoy a nice pizza? Word on the street is that the best seat in town is at Scopa.
    • Tagged as:
    • restaurants and bars
    • bypass
    • transport
    • cuba street

    • This Wellingtonista newsitem has 9 comments.

      • ‘After a few weeks of teasing me with near misses I finally managed to catch someone get hit this morning. Silly git had it coming. Luckily no-one was hurt badly, just shaken up a little. I think all of the above are wise and noble suggestions but the one’
      • ‘Yeah - saw that sign too. I'm sure it was installed by a thoughtful local. Btw, I got an email reply from the WCC. They're looking into it now. Will post their response when/if I get one ...’
      • ‘I walked through there last night and found one (1) sign that said "look both ways". It was vry small and attached to the pole by the Star Mart, i.e. where the chains are so you can't cross the road.’

      You can view the remaining comments and submit your own here.

  
  

• • Councillors divided over bypass

    • 4 Apr 2007
    • Capital Times
    • he heavily criticised inner city bypass will influence the way Wellingtonians vote in the local body elections on October 13. Capital Times spoke to mayoral candidates Kerry Prendergast, Rob Goulden, Ray Ahipene-Mercer, and Bryan Pepperell about the bypass.
    • Tagged as:
    • bypass
  
  

• • U-turn

    • 1 Apr 2007
    • WellUrban
    • In a surprise decision, Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast today announced that the inner-city bypass will be scrapped. "We had faith in roads to solve all life's problems, but it hasn't turned out like that at all. It seems that while east-west commuters are saving a few minutes, north-south commuters have had to pay for it with increased delays, and overall, the project hasn't been worth all the money and hassle."The council and Transit NZ are now working to repair the damage.
    • Tagged as:
    • bypass

    • This WellUrban newsitem has 15 comments.

      • ‘hey! that guy who's been putting up video on PA system is sending me a copy of his dvd when he's finished editing it.before you ask, it's about deflating myths around public transport etc.but... i need help setting up a viewing somewhere.ideas. and no. n’
      • ‘You could be forgiven for thinking that this press release was also sent on April 1st: "Council Wins Award for Sustainable Strategic Planning"’
      • ‘In addition, Mayor Jenny Brash reported that she no longer supports Transmission Gully Motorway and would prefer a high quality light rail link from Waikanae to the Airport’

      You can view the remaining comments and submit your own here.

  
  

• • Bypass chaos stalls street plans

    • 28 Mar 2007
    • Capital Times
    • THE failure thus far of hopes that the ‘bypass’ would draw traffic out of the city has thrown city council planning into doubt.
    • Tagged as:
    • bypass
  
  

• • Transit advises Brooklyn pedestrians of better route into town

    • 26 Mar 2007
    • Wellington Inner City Bypass information
    • Transit New Zealand advises Brooklyn pedestrians of a better route into town after monitoring pedestrians since the open of Karo Drive at Christmas.
    • Tagged as:
    • brooklyn
  
  

• • Transit advises of delays for Brooklyn / Aro Valley motorists this morning

    • 26 Mar 2007
    • Wellington Inner City Bypass information
    • Transit New Zealand advises there were some delays for motorists coming into the city from Brooklyn and Aro Valley this morning.
    • Tagged as:
    • brooklyn
    • aro valley
  
  

• • Bypass surgery complete. Has the patient survived?

    • 25 Mar 2007
    • The Wellingtonista
    • At last, the final stage of the bypass has been opened, and the decades-long drama is drawing to an end. The DomPost reports...
    • Tagged as:
    • bypass

    • This Wellingtonista newsitem has 10 comments.

      • ‘But what really grinds my gears is that... all this stupid bypass shit seems to have been put there to impress the folk who come into the city to work. What about us poor schmoes who LIVE there? If I make the giddy mistake of trying to turn out my stre’
      • ‘It makes me want to cry trying to make my way through Wellington now. It never used to be BAD enough to warrant all the money and destruction. Now it's a fucking shitter of a whore to get across. I live at the town end of Mt Cook and I'd just like to ’
      • ‘I managed to see some keen as mustard driver decide to head southwards on Vivian Street in his ute - AT 10PM SATURDAY NIGHT!!!’

      You can view the remaining comments and submit your own here.

  
  

• • Bypassed

    • 25 Mar 2007
    • WellUrban
    • Well, it's done. The changeover to the southbound leg of the bypass happened without incident at just after 6 this morning, and while it's hard to tell for sure, there don't seem to be any major snarl-ups around town. Tomorrow will be a bigger test, once commuters hit the new layout in force, but we'll still have to wait for a while before we can see whether it achieves what it set out to do.
    • Tagged as:
    • bypass

    • This WellUrban newsitem has 20 comments.

      • ‘Given the billions being thrown around at motorways in Auckland, and perhaps Transmission Gully, the Tunnellink project would have been a doddle price wise. Benefit/cost ratios aren't used anymore to ration major transport projects (and Tunnellink had a’
      • ‘anonymous, I don't think what you're saying is ridiculous, I can't speak to the maths part, but just from experience being in other cities I've found a good contiguous grid "appears" to work very well at distributing traffic. I've always thought it would’
      • ‘The problem as I see it is the tendency for planners to minimise intersections and limit possible travel options. That, and one-way systems. I've been drawing diagrams for the last hour trying to prove that more intersections and no one-way streets is a ’

      You can view the remaining comments and submit your own here.

  
  

• • Bypass complete… shambles?

    • 21 Mar 2007
    • Capital Times
    • The final section of the Bypass opens on March 25, and commuters all over Wellington are expecting it to alleviate the traffic jams, delayed bus services and crosstown gridlock that have become a daily trial for motorists within the city.
    • Tagged as:
    • bypass
  
  

• • Bypassing Ghuznee

    • 19 Mar 2007
    • WellUrban
    • The moment of truth is nearly here: in less than a week's time, the bypass will be complete. Well, sort of. When the southbound route opens at 6am this Sunday, SH1 traffic will finally have been diverted out of the city streets and onto ... some other city streets.
    • Tagged as:
    • bypass

    • This WellUrban newsitem has 12 comments.

      • ‘I had a closer look when walking home this evening after work.My feeling is that it is a motorcycle parking space - it's too narrow for a complete vehicle, unless they are going to shift the delineated carriageways north by another metre. That would then’
      • ‘God, this roading design is easy. Can i take a minute to solve the rest of the bypass? Oh yes please!OK - Action 1 : put it underground from Tory to Taranaki - there's a clear path there at the moment, just beside it, and it will never be easier. Then th’
      • ‘ok ok, i hear you cry, what about Garret St? How wil they get in or out if we ban traffic from Cuba?The answer is already there. Garret St has a great building at the end with a big archway right through it, ordered by the roading-crazy council in the 60’

      You can view the remaining comments and submit your own here.

  
  

• • Transit and WCC to provide updates and phone service on Bypass

    • 16 Mar 2007
    • Wellington Inner City Bypass information
    • Transit New Zealand and Wellington City Council will be providing daily updates on how traffic is moving on the Inner City Bypass and associated streets.
    • Automatically tagged as:
    • bypass
    • transport
  
  

• • Transit and WCC to Provide Updates and Phone Service on Bypass

    • 16 Mar 2007
    • Wellington City Council
    • Transit New Zealand and Wellington City Council will be providing daily updates on how traffic is moving on the Inner City Bypass and associated streets.
    • Tagged as:
    • bypass
  
  

• • It’s the bypass

    • 27 Feb 2007
    • Capital Times
    • STAGECOACH says Wellington’s new bypass is now causing the delays to Wellington’s bus services. The company came under fire in early February due to buses not arriving on time or at all. A shortage of drivers was initially blamed for the unreliable service.
    • Tagged as:
    • bypass
    • transport
  
  

• • Transit reminds motorists of Vivian Street route change

    • 25 Jan 2007
    • Wellington Inner City Bypass information
    • Transit New Zealand is reminding motorists that the short section of Vivian Street between Willis and Victoria Streets will reverse in direction from tomorrow (Friday 26 January).
    • Automatically tagged as:
    • bypass
    • transport
  
  

• • Transit advises motorists to use Taranaki St when travelling to eastern and southern suburbs 

    • 16 Jan 2007
    • Wellington Inner City Bypass information
    • Transit New Zealand is urging motorists travelling between the city centre and Wellington’s eastern and southern suburbs to use Taranaki Street rather than Victoria Street, as part of the route changes following the opening of the northbound section of the Wellington Inner City Bypass.
    • Automatically tagged as:
    • bypass
    • transport
  
  

• • Transit advises motorists to use Taranaki St when travelling to eastern and southern suburbs

    • 16 Jan 2007
    • Wellington Inner City Bypass information
    • Transit New Zealand is urging motorists travelling between the city centre and Wellington's eastern and southern suburbs to use Taranaki Street rather than Victoria Street, as part of the route changes following the opening of the northbound section of the Wellington Inner City Bypass.
    • Tagged as:
    • transport
  
  

• • SH1 Inner City Bypass northbound route opens

    • 22 Dec 2006
    • Wellington Inner City Bypass information
    • After two years of construction, the northbound route of the new SH1 Wellington Inner City Bypass will open at 6am on Thursday 28 December 2006. "The road will be opened using a 'rolling' process ' the intersections will be opened one after the other working back from Willis Street, taking approximately 5-10 minutes," said Transit NZ Project Manager Jonnette Adams.
    • Automatically tagged as:
    • bypass
    • transport
  
  

• • Car-o drive

    • 18 Dec 2006
    • WellUrban
    • As I said I would, I took a walk along the bypass on Saturday. I was too late to see the protests, but some of the protestors were still there chalking slogans on the pavements, and there a certain tension remained in the air.There's a lot of things I don't like about the bypass, but the thing that struck me the most about it on the weekend is that it just doesn't look like Wellington.
    • Tagged as:
    • bypass
    • transport

    • This WellUrban newsitem has 15 comments.

      • ‘What a waste of time & money. Karo Drive is a disaster & Transit Cocked it up big time. Now there is more traffic & ever at Basin Reserve, Adelaide Road. Any more cock ups by Transit will make Wellington traffic worse just like Auckland's’
      • ‘Tom - I admire your frank and easy criticism of the whole bypass deal. 'Thorndon South' says it ALL I reckon.What a bloody shame eh Wellington.Ah, it's all down to:'the right contacts'and money talks these days - whichever way you care to see this’
      • ‘I live nearby in Cuba St, and since people have been back from holidays, there has been horrendous (compared to before) back up of traffic in upper Cuba St in rush hours and more cars idling during the day. I wonder if this will change when the southboun’

      You can view the remaining comments and submit your own here.

  
  

• • Patience requested during Bypass changes

    • 13 Dec 2006
    • Wellington Inner City Bypass information
    • Access from Willis Street to Abel Smith Street (east) has been permanently closed as part of the Inner City Bypass project, and Wellington motorists are being asked to be patient as changes occur to roads in the Bypass vicinity during upcoming weeks.
    • Automatically tagged as:
    • bypass
    • transport
  
  

• • Walk the Bypass

    • 11 Dec 2006
    • Wellington Inner City Bypass information
    • Members of the public who have been wondering what has been happening inside the construction site for the past two years will have an opportunity to Walk the Bypass at public open days planned for the weekend of 16 and 17 December, being run by local Wellington Rotary Clubs.
    • Automatically tagged as:
    • bypass
    • transport
  
  

• • Abel Smith Street - permanent intersection closure

    • 5 Dec 2006
    • Wellington Inner City Bypass information
    • Transit New Zealand today advised that there will be no vehicle access into Abel Smith Street from Willis Street effective from 10am Monday 11 December 2006.
    • Automatically tagged as:
    • bypass
    • transport
  
  

• • Wellington Inner City Bypass: Willis Street works

    • 1 Dec 2006
    • Wellington Inner City Bypass information
    • As part of the Inner City Bypass, work has commenced on Willis Street, at the Abel Smith Street intersection, to resurface the road at its intersection with the new bypass.
    • Automatically tagged as:
    • bypass
    • transport
  
  

• • Bypassing the truth

    • 23 Nov 2006
    • WellUrban
    • How sweet. The competition to name the Inner City "Bypass" has been won by Te Aro School, with the name "Karo" Drive. Apparently, "The K represents the kids, Aro their school. Karo is also a small native New Zealand tree that produces sweetly scented red flowers in Spring and grows very well in Wellington". Maybe it's just me, but I don't usually associate "sweetly scented red flowers" with a bloody great arterial road that's been shoved through a city neighbourhood.
    • Tagged as:
    • bypass

    • This WellUrban newsitem has 16 comments.

      • ‘Apologies to anonymous.I shouldn't really be laying such fault with the CBC: after all the Council, Transit, and our forever useless-never-doing-anything-for-Wellington local MPs are the ones really at fault for that ridiculous curvy suburban style stree’
      • ‘I do believe the tunnel option was submitted to transit, maybe the council, in some form, and the answer was that underground streams/earthquake risk would have made it extremely expensive, and they weren't interested in looking into it further. For you ’
      • ‘[quote]I hope that groups like CBC don't learn to compromise: if they had given up earlier, Transit probably wouldn't have bothered putting in cycle lanes or moving buildings rather than demolishing them. And the notion of "compromise" doesn't apply to t’

      You can view the remaining comments and submit your own here.