IECA Events

Te Ara o Te Ata – Mt Messenger Bypass project field trip, NZ

DATE:
Thursday 1st August, 2024

TIME and MEETING PLACE:
Meet at New Plymouth Golf Club Car Park at 7am, end of day drop off 5pm.
Mini van seats are first in first served, but we will also car pool
Morning tea and lunch provided

PDH:
7 credits.

COST:
$95AUD IECA Member | $180AUD non-member

Full PPE required:
Hard hat, steel cap lace up boots, gumboots, safety glasses, orange hi-vis, long sleeves, long pants.
A reasonable level of fitness is required as some attendees will only be able to ride the gondola on the cableway one-way. The scaffold stairs will be used to gain entry and exit to Fill 12 (approximately 650 stairs and a steep incline).

This field trip will give an insight into the challenges of constructing a road in such an unforgiving but also beautiful environment. We will have the opportunity to ride the gondola into the largest fill site on the project, walk through native bush and wetlands, watch ESC in action and discuss the many environmental outcomes and benefits of the project in depth.

Te Ara o Te Ata: Mt Messenger Bypass is a new 6km route from Uruti to Ahititi in North Taranaki that avoids the existing steep, narrow and winding route over Mt Messenger on State Highway 3.

Improving the safety of travel on SH3, enhancing resilience and journey time reliability are key project outcomes, along with a strong focus on managing environmental effects.

The main objectives of the bypass are to:

• Reduce the likelihood of deaths and serious injuries from crashes
• Provide a more resilient route, standing up to the local weather, ground and geographic conditions
• Enhance the reliability in and out of North Taranaki
• Deliver lasting improvements to the surrounding natural environment

Mt Messenger and the wider Parininihi area where the project is located is a significant landscape and ecological area, which has cultural and spiritual importance to local iwi.

Treading lightly on the land as much as possible guides the project and is expressed through the landscape design approach, design of the bypass, pest management and restoration work.

Our substantial environmental programme involves significant pest management, restoration and landscape planting, and ecological protection. The project aims to greatly improve the natural environment in the Mt Messenger area. The project aims to offset the ecological effects of the construction and operation of the bypass.

Te Ara o Te Ata will be a benchmark for future New Zealand infrastructure projects and raise the bar on what great environmental practice looks like in construction.

HOSTED BY:

Details

1st Aug 24

Venue New Plymouth

Registrations Open 16th May 24 12:00 AM

Registrations Close 25th Jul 24 11:59 PM

Cost AU $ 180

Places Available 1

Registration