Notice of Requirement State Highway 2 - Waikare Gorge

Hastings District Council as the consenting authority has received Notice of Requirement (NOR) for a designation from New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi under Section 168 of the Resource Management Act 1991. The designation is to realign State Highway 2, to allow the construction and installation of a road corridor, including the construction of a new road bridge above the Waikare Gorge and over the Waikari River. New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi requested public notification in accordance with Section 95A(3)(a) of the Resource Management Act 1991.

This is a joint public notification by, Hawkes Bay Regional Council, Hastings District Council and Wairoa District Council.

Description of Proposal:

The proposed work is the construction, operation and maintenance of a state highway and associated infrastructure activities between chainage (CH11200) and (CH16200) on State Highway 2. The NOR comprises the following key features and activities:

• A 3.8km, two lane greenfields alignment
• Waikare Gorge Bridge (approximately 160m in length)
• A new railway overpass bridge
• Kings Creek road bridge and stock bridge
• Stock underpasses
• Passing lane and slow vehicle bay
• A new safe stopping place
• Installation of a wire rope median barrier and edge barriers
• Culvert extensions and new culverts with associated headwalls and rock rip rap aprons
• Installation of stormwater treatment facilities including forebay, wetland and pond installations
• Earthworks
• Installation of retaining walls
• Planting and landscaping
• Land disturbance and vegetation clearance
• Stream bed disturbance and temporary stream diversion
• Temporary installation of erosion and sediment control devices, during construction.

The land to which the NOR applies (including the northern alignment within Wairoa District is as follows:

The land subject of the NOR to the south of Waikari River is within Hastings District Territorial Authority Area, the land to the north of the Waikari River is within the Wairoa District Territorial Authority Area, however the entire length of the NOR is within the Hawkes Bay Regional boundary.  Separate application has been made to HB Regional Council for resource consent for various activities under the Hawkes Bay Regional Plan.

The NOR application includes an Assessment of Environmental Effects, including the following specialist reports; Ecological Assessment, Preliminary Stormwater Design, Archaeological Screening Report, Contaminated Land Preliminary Site Investigation Management Plan, Transport Impact Assessment, Landscape and Visual Assessment, Urban Landscape Design Framework, Noise and Vibration Assessment. The information may be inspected below or at the Hastings District Council Customer Service Centre, 207 Lyndon Road East, Hastings, during office hours.