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State Highway 58 Safety Improvements—Detailed Design

Paving the way for improving road safety and reducing crash rates

  • 9KM

    Road Length

  • 20

    Lives Saved in 10 Years

  • $50M+

    Construction Value

  • Wellington, New Zealand

    Wellington, New Zealand

Detailed design, ground investigation, consents, land acquisition, and contract documentation

State Highway 58 (SH58) is one of the most dangerous roads in New Zealand (NZ). High speed and traffic volume as well as side-road hazards and poor geometry mean SH58 has one of the worst safety records. The number of high-severity crashes left the local community in a crisis point.

We helped the NZ Transport Agency respond—having won the contract for detailed design and construction monitoring, we accelerated our delivery programme and completed the design, consents, and land acquisition in nine months rather than the normal 18–24.

Our geologists undertook a major drilling programme providing insight into challenging geotechnical conditions, informing route design, and allowing us to balance constructability, value for money, and innovation with design requirements, cost, construction methods, and road user impacts.

Extending this insight and incorporating stakeholder feedback, we challenged one-size-fits-all standards and used probabilistic analysis to inform design. By investigating several complex geotechnical and geometric alternatives, we negotiated design departures—reducing costs and the extent of works while meeting key project outcomes, namely improving road user experience and mitigating visual and ecological effects through landscape design.

Our design’s critical safety improvements—enhanced geometry, median and side barriers, and intersection upgrades with new roundabouts—are designed to slow traffic and prevent high-severity crashes.

At a Glance

Offices
Client
  • Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
Award
IPWEA NZ Asset Management Excellence Awards 2022—Best Public Works Project over $5M
Award
IPWEA NZ Asset Management Excellence Awards 2022—Road Safety
Meet Our Team

April Peckham, Principal Planner

I support clients to obtain statutory approvals, while also helping keep our communities safe and protect our environment.

Grant Maxwell, Growth Leader – Infrastructure Resilience

I want to build geo-resilient communities that can cope with an uncertain future.

Andrew Craig, Practice Leader, Flood Risk Management

I help clients understand the risks and impacts of flooding and develop resilient solutions to manage uncertainty and climate change.

Eleni Gkeli, Technical Specialist, Rock Engineering/Geotech, Pavements & Structures Leader

I’m proud that my work helps to maintain critical infrastructure of regional and national significance.
Eleni Gkeli Technical Specialist, Rock Engineering/Geotech, Pavements & Structures Leader Read More

Jeremy Walters, Chief Engineer/Technical Specialist, Bridges

My work in transport and water brings a variety of challenges—if variety is the spice of life, it certainly keeps my job interesting!
Jeremy Walters Chief Engineer/Technical Specialist, Bridges Read More

Kirstie Thorpe, Senior Principal Landscape Architect & Urban Design/Team Lead, Landscape & Urban Design

I weave threads of landscape together and incorporate their values into infrastructure projects.
Kirstie Thorpe Senior Principal Landscape Architect & Urban Design/Team Lead, Landscape & Urban Design Read More

April Peckham

Principal Planner

Grant Maxwell

Growth Leader – Infrastructure Resilience

Andrew Craig

Practice Leader, Flood Risk Management

Eleni Gkeli

Technical Specialist, Rock Engineering/Geotech, Pavements & Structures Leader

Jeremy Walters

Chief Engineer/Technical Specialist, Bridges

Kirstie Thorpe

Senior Principal Landscape Architect & Urban Design/Team Lead, Landscape & Urban Design

We’re better together

  • Become a client

    Partner with us today to change how tomorrow looks. You’re exactly what’s needed to help us make it happen in your community.

  • Design your career

    Work with passionate people who are experts in their field. Our teams love what they do and are driven by how their work makes an impact on the communities they serve.

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