Article written by Selwyn Blackmore – Business Leader and Sector Lead – Transport, and Graeme Corin – Senior Transport Engineer
We would like to congratulate KiwiRail on the reopening of the important Dublin Street / Auckland Street intersection as well as the road and rail level crossing located to the west of this intersection in Picton. The crossing and intersection had been previously closed for over 12 months to enable access changes that had been previously required by the former IREX project. Following the Government’s decision on IREX earlier this year, both the crossing and intersection was identified as needing to be reinstated as soon as possible.
Vitruvius is proud to have played a crucial role in helping KiwiRail reopen the crossing and intersection. We delivered a complete end to end design and support package for KiwiRail for the crossing. This included leading the detailed road / rail designs, civil design inputs, project management, construction supervision as well as contract administration to 3910. Our project work also included collaborating closely with Marlborough District Council, Marlborough Roads and NZTA.
For the community, the reopening of the crossing and intersection has already improved traffic and people movements for the Picton Ferry Terminal as well as for local residents. Local businesses, which had been struggling during the closure, have also welcomed the reopening of these important transport connections.
KiwiRail Project Manager Doug Carter recently told Stuff.co.nz that the reopening of the intersection marked the near-completion of KiwiRail’s efforts to wind down the ferry project. He expressed satisfaction at seeing the “closed” signs removed, noting that the crew had worked long and hard to complete the project ahead of schedule.
The outcome of the Dublin Street project is a fantastic example of our team’s expertise and capability as well as demonstrating our commitment to always ensuring success for our clients.