Karori Tunnel

The Council is doing essential earthquake-strengthening work on the Karori Tunnel portals and nearby banks this year.

Karori Tunnel was built in 1900 and is Wellington's oldest road tunnel. Linking Karori with Kelburn and the city centre, it is regularly used by motorists, pedestrians and buses. Around 114,000 vehicles pass through the tunnel each week.

The tunnel is 76m long, 7.71m wide and 5.8m high. The Wellington Fault lies within 20m of the eastern (Kelburn-side) tunnel entrance.

Planned Work

The Karori Tunnel strengthening work includes:

rebuilding both portals and securely attaching them to the hillside
constructing a new sprayed-concrete retaining wall along Glenmore Street on the Kelburn approach to the tunnel
recreating the tunnel's historically significant facade and plaques.

Note:
We won't be upgrading the inside of the tunnel at this stage.

To see details of the proposed anchored buttresses, capping beam, portal walls and retaining wall:

Drawings (172Kb PDF)

Time Frame

This project is expected to take 9 months.

Contractor Fulton Hogan began preliminary work in early February and the work will be in full swing from 27 February.

Disruptions

The Council is working to minimise disruptions to traffic, bus services, pedestrian access and noise levels near the tunnel.

Traffic Flow

To get the job done as quickly as possible and to minimise disruption, we'll manage the traffic as follows:

Monday to Saturday, 7.00am - 9.30am and 3.00pm - 7.00pm: two-way travel as usual.
Monday to Saturday, 9.30am - 3.00pm and after 7.00pm - traffic may be reduced to one lane and will be regulated by temporary traffic lights at both ends of the tunnel.
Sundays - usually two-way all day.
The tunnel may be closed between 12 midnight and 6.00am on occasions.

Alternative Routes

To avoid traffic jams and delays, there are alternative routes you can take:

Map of Alternative Routes (142Kb PDF)

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Route 1

Raroa Crescent - Raroa Road - Plunket Street - Upland Road

or

Raroa Crescent - Raroa Road - Aro Street - Willis Street

Route 2

Raroa Crescent - Northland Tunnel Road - Northland Road - Glenmore Street - city centre

Route 3

Raroa Crescent - Northland Tunnel Road - Northland Road - Garden Road - Glenmore Street - city centre

Route 4

Karori Road - Old Karori Road - Whitehead Road - Curtis Street - Northern suburbs / city centre

Route 5

Karori Road - Chaytor Street - Curtis Street - Northern suburbs / city centre

Bus Services

Power to the overhead trolley bus wires through the tunnel will be switched off during construction for safety reasons. Go Wellington will keep the current services to and from Karori using diesel buses.

Car Parks

The Birdwood Street car park at the base of the steps leading to Ponsonby Road has closed. The contractor will use the car park as a work site during the project. Pedestrian access to the steps will stay open.

The Zealandia car park across the road will not be affected. Commuters can use this car park Monday to Friday except during school holidays or when Zealandia has a special event on.

Some parking is also available on Birdwood Street.

Noise

A noise management plan will be used to make sure noise during construction between the hours of 7.00pm and 7.00am is kept to acceptable levels.

Access for Pedestrians & Cyclists

Pedestrians and cyclists will have access through the tunnel throughout the construction period, though there may be short delays at times.

Background

In 2004, the Council carried out a seismic assessment of the tunnel as part of the Council's Asset Management Planning process.

The report found that the portal walls at the tunnel entrances and the nearby slopes are at risk of significant damage in the event of a major earthquake. Such damage could close the tunnel to all traffic for up to 3 months.

As a result of the report, the tunnel was included in the Council's programme to strengthen earthquake-prone structures in Wellington.

More Information

Council Contact Centre
Phone: (04) 499 4444