Designing improvements to establish the safety and resilience of the transportation network connecting Ōtaki and Levin, north of Wellington

Ōtaki to North of Levin Offline Highway - Design

What do you do when a major highway is one of the most dangerous in New Zealand? Be part of the design solution delivering an entirely new high-quality, safe, and resilient route. We’ve been doing that for over a decade, to support Waka Kotahi to finalise their plans for this main arterial route north of Wellington.

How did we help? Through providing geometric, walking, cycling, structural, geotechnical, stormwater, hydrology, and pavement design advice on different options and the preferred way forward. Also, we delivered transportation planning and consenting assistance while undertaking climate change assessments and value engineering.

The value engineering processes that we undertook with Waka Kotahi are estimated to save over $50M from the proposed project and also significantly reduce embodied carbon—and we also provided digital engineering services to optimize design production. We were part of the team that facilitated and supported consultation and stakeholder engagement between the client, designers, partners, and the community, which allowed for a greater understanding of the alignment options available and helped to identify the best way forward.

The result? A design that significantly reduces deaths and injuries on the road, enhancing safety and resilience, critical improvement to flood risk, and growth opportunities for the lower North Island and beyond.