The peninsula connection - Dunedin

Bound by the coastal topography of the harbour and land, Otago Peninsula’s Portobello Road was narrow and winding. The dual carriageway had limited safety margins, no shoulders, and no safe areas for pedestrians or cyclists. The road was even more unsafe at night and in poor weather.

In 2017, the council challenged us to provide the design work for 8 separable portions of this road and in 2018 they selected Fulton Hogan to deliver works.

Working alongside Dunedin City Council and Fulton Hogan on such a large project demanded strong collaboration with each other and the community. Stringent resource consent conditions, which included the historical significance of the area, also challenged us to innovate in our approach.

We began by exploring value engineering to reduce costs but maximise the level of service for the available budget. Throughout the process, we revisited the design with Fulton Hogan to minimise construction quantities.

Our design identified 160,000m³ bulk fill reclamation of up to 11 m wide, engulfing the existing sea wall and raising the road, to protect against future sea-level rise. The works also included drainage improvements, surfacing works, pavements, line marking, barriers, and landscaping with native species.

Field Engineer Assessing

The road runs alongside a harbour which is famed for its fantastic wildlife. As a result of this, ensuring the foreshore and seabed were protected became imperative to the project. Before reclamation works, the seabed ecology was relocated to help conserve marine life.

To protect the road from the sea, 40,000 m² of stone was hand-placed to build the sea wall.

Stone was a deliberate decision, chosen to replicate the existing historic hand-placed sea walls. Sections of rock walls built as early as the 1860s have also been restored. Boardwalks were being constructed around the walls, instead of burying them during reclamation, so path users can view these historic features.

Poles and old signage have been removed to make way for rest areas and landscaping for recreational users to enjoy, improving the overall amenity of this unique environment along the coastline. 

The Peninsula Connection has improved road safety for cars, cyclists, and pedestrians. What was an unsafe, narrow road, is now a 3 m wide shared but separate path connecting the townships of Macandrew Bay, Broad Bay and Portobello, to Dunedin City.

The success of this project can be attributed to broad, frequent, and ongoing community engagement throughout the design and construction phases. Community feedback throughout the process influenced final designs for seating, bus shelters, landscaping, lighting, harbour access, and the layout through urban areas.