Kāpiti Road improvements

Kāpiti Road has undergone a dramatic facelift over the past 12 months in preparation for the Mackays to Peka Peka section of the Kāpiti Expressway opening.

Infrastructure Services Group Manager Sean Mallon says the Council has made a series of improvements to Kāpiti Road, the district's busiest road, to ensure pedestrians, cyclists and motorists can move freely between Paraparaumu’s beach area and town centre.

“We fully expect traffic volumes and patterns to change on Kāpiti Road as people will use it to get on and off the expressway.

“Works to upgrade the Milne Drive, Te Roto Drive and Arawhata Road intersections are complete and we’ve recently completed our works to deliver shared path improvements between Arawhata Road to Ngahina Street as part of our town centres transformation project.”

The works between Arawhata Road and Ngahina Street involved working with Electra to remove power poles and overhead power lines on the south side of Kāpiti Road to make way for a new 2.5 metre shared path. On-road cycle lanes have also been installed.

Mr Mallon said the shared path improvements aim to make it safer and easier for people to get to and from the Paraparaumu town centre on foot, by bike or mobility scooter.

Kāpiti Road resident Pamela Hellier welcomed the improvements.

“The wider footpath feels safer and can accommodate more people. If a bike whizzes past, you don’t feel like you’re going to be bowled over,” she said.

Further works to deliver shared path improvements on the south side of Kāpiti Road between the new Caltex Service Station on Lodestar Place and McGrath Avenue are close to completion.

“Where space allows, our goal is to have a consistent 2.5 metre shared path running the length of this key commuter corridor,” Mr Mallon said. 

31 January 2017