Thorndon Quay

Construction update

It’s been a busy month, with more progress visible in various areas. The following work is currently underway:

Area 1: Bunny Street intersection to Mulgrave Street
Night works to upgrade the current intersection signals, scheduled to finish by the end of March. Road surfacing and cycleway separators installation to be completed by end of April.

Area 2: Mulgrave Street intersection
Day works to upgrade the signalised intersection to be completed in March. Road surfacing and cycleway separators installation to be completed by beginning of April.

Area 3: In front of National Archives and Capital Gateway exit
Surfacing to be completed by May 2025, exact timing to be confirmed.

Area 6: Davis Street to Sebel Hotel
Day and night works to install the new signalised crossing scheduled to finish in May.

Area 7: Sebel Hotel to Wattyl Paints
Road surfacing and cycleway separators installation in progress in March.

Area 11: Tinakori Road intersection
Day and night works to install the new signalised crossing, scheduled to finish in March.

Upcoming night works

New traffic lights and pedestrian crossings will soon be installed at the intersection of Tinakori Road, Hutt Road and Thorndon Quay (Area 11). Once the day shift work is completed, the area will require:

• resurfacing with new asphalt and line marking 
• installation of concrete cycleway separators
• finishing works for the completion of the cycleway.

This mahi will be done at night to avoid traffic issues during the day, with the noisiest activities finishing by 11pm. Work is scheduled to start the week of 10 March and may take up to four weeks depending on factors such as weather, ground conditions and resources. 
 
A section of the lower part of Tinakori Road will also require resurfacing. This road is too narrow to safely carry out a stop/go arrangement, so when night works are happening a road closure and detour will be in place for 1-2 nights, from 7.30pm to 5am. We will notify residents and business owners when the March dates and detour route are finalised.

Good news!

Area map of Thorndon Quay progress to date (Feb 25)

We're over halfway! Work on seven of the 13 areas along Thorndon Quay has been completed, and this list is growing every month as we head towards our July completion date.

Completed areas include:

Area 4: Pipitea Marae to Resene building (see images below), Area 5: Resene building to Davis Street, Area 8: Wattyl Paints to Carpet Court, Area 9: Curtain Studio to Ramset, Area 10: Ramset to Tinakori Road, Area 12: Sar Street to NZCT and Area 13: Gun City.

Check out the project overview to find out more. 

Cycleway update

We're installing cycleway separators as we complete road surfacing, leaving a 1.5 metre strip next to the pavement so the cycleway can still be used. Once the cycleway separators have been installed, we’ll complete the surfacing of the cycleway.

Cycling FAQs

We’ve been getting a lot of comments and questions from cyclists commuting via Thorndon Quay. All feedback provides useful insights from a biking perspective.

Here are some frequently asked questions:

Q. Can the cycleway be used both ways now?
No. Until more of the separators are installed, people heading north should stay on the road until they are past Tinakori Road and can move over onto the existing two-way bike lane. All road users should share the lane as they would on any other road without a designated cycle lane.

Q. It seems there's still a cycle lane on the north bound lane in some places but not in others. Why is that?
When the work is completed there will be no cycle lane at all on the north bound lane. At the moment, the completed sections of the road reflect this new design and the unfinished sections do not. We are working rapidly to finish installing the separators and surfacing that will mean we can open the cycle lane. Meanwhile, we strongly encourage motorists to be aware of cyclists in the northbound lane and share the road with care.

Q. Why are some people parking in the new cycle lane?
The partially finished state of the road can be confusing for people, especially if they are not frequent visitors to Thorndon Quay. When the work is complete, the cycleway will be clearly painted with signage in place, making it more obvious no parking is allowed. For the time being we are putting out cones to show there is no parking and will report people who park in the new bike lane. If you notice cars parked in the bike lane, please report the issue to the Council.

Small business support

There’s still time for small businesses in Thorndon Quay who may be impacted by construction works to apply for a microgrant from Wellington City Council. Microgrants for eligible businesses of up to $1,500 can be used in a variety of ways, including marketing, training, signage and staff wellbeing. Find out more about the microgrant programme or email microgrants@wcc.govt.nz

Other support is available through WellingtonNZ, including microgrants for eligible businesses – see below. Check out the business support page or email Nik O'Connell, Business Growth and City in Transition Manager.