The latest news and information from the Aotea Station team

View this email in your browser 14 February 2020 Kia ora! This newsletter is your monthly update on construction and related happenings for Aotea Station. We hope to provide some interesting stories too. Works progress Construction support area The future Aotea Station site shown above at the intersection of Wellesley, Mayoral and Albert is being established as a construction support area to house crew offices and lunchroom, equipment storage and a bentonite plant. The site will receive the tunnel boring machine when it emerges after the journey from Karangahape in 2022.  Did you know?  Bentonite is an absorbent clay that expands when wet.  We’re using bentonite to construct diaphragm walls that balance hydraulic pressure in the ground around excavations and prevent them collapsing. Utilities relocations Utilities relocations are underway. To move underground electricity, water and gas lines, we dig a new trench, lay pipes and feed them through. Relocations have started at the Victoria Street West intersection outside the AA Centre and we are working south to Wellesley Street West.   We’ll soon be relocating services within the Albert Street slip lane by Durham Street West. One half of the slip lane will be closed at a time and we are working with managers of the adjacent parking building to keep it accessible throughout this work.    We'll also work with businesses who use the service lane underneath Crowne Plaza to maintain deliveries and access when we relocate a gas main later this month. More information about these and other works can be found here. Coming up:  Wellesley Street, Albert Street, Mayoral Drive intersection closure. On Sunday 1 March the intersection of Wellesley Street West, Mayoral Drive and Albert Street will close to traffic until early 2021. We are using a top down construction method to build the station walls and roof first so we can reopen the intersection in 2021 while we continue construction underneath. Businesses on Wellesley Street West, Mayoral Drive and Albert Street remain open for business while construction is underway. Buses will not be able to travel through the intersection after it closes to traffic. Visit AT.govt.nz/BetterWay  to find out more about changes to bus routes from 23 February and information about travelling into the city centre. Private vehicles travelling around this area will experience delays during their journey.  Come and chat to us outside Mojo Cafe by Bledisloe Lane between 20th and 28th February.  Check the CRL Facebook page for times and dates. The map below shows alternative routes and loading zones for traffic during the closure. Dig CRL:  name our tunnel boring machine! You are invited to help us pick a name for our tunnel boring machine!   She will be named her after a groundbreakingNew Zealand woman, past or present.  Anyone can submit a name online at www.digcrl.co.nz and submissions close on Thursday, 5 March.  The top three names will be selected by an internal panel for New Zealanders to vote on.  Voting will be open between 12-26 March. Watch the competition video in te reo!  Archaeological find:  19th century trolley bus cables Three trolley bus cables dating back to early 19th century trams and post 1940 trolley buses were found at the corner of Albert Street and Victoria Street West during utility investigations. The cables measure 90mm to 120mm in diameter and lay 340mm to 430mm below the footpath, running west to east and they likely continue along Victoria Street east towards Queen and west towards Hobson. Researchers from Auckland Council archives will verify the cables and we’ll be on the lookout for other finds. The cables are indicated by the yellow arrows in the photo below. Tree recycling In December and January trees in Bledisloe carpark, along Mayoral Drive and on Victoria Street were removed as their roots were entangled with underground services. The trees were offered to Mana Whenua and local woodturners for re-use and the mulch is being used by the Auckland Council facilities team in gardens and around trees in Auckland Domain.  We’ll be replanting trees at a minimum of 1:1 as part of our streetscape works, starting 2023.   One of the trees - the Harvey Tree - was planted in the 1970's by Les Harvey, a local property owner. A plinth was installed in remembrance of this colourful character. Harvey was a keen place maker and we’re proud to continue his legacy with several cuttings (one in the photo below) of the Harvey tree being cultivated in our nursery, ready for replanting in 2024 with the plinth.  Drop in sessions Our weekly drop in sessions will be resuming at a new, more accessible venue. From Tuesday 25th February, 5 - 6pm we'll have project team representatives and information displays in the ground floor lobby of the Auckland Council building at 135 Albert Street. Pop in for a chat and we'll answer any questions you have about the CRL project and construction of the Aotea Station.  We look forward to seeing you there!   Aotea Community Liaison Group The Aotea community liaison group is made up of local community representatives who participate in the planning and preparation of works. Members of the group help us understand and mitigate impacts of the works and act as a liaison between neighbours and the project - sharing information and updates and providing community feedback to the project.   We would love to see more local people getting involved with the group. If you sign up now you’ll be just in time to attend our next meeting on 18th February.   To find out more, or express interest in joining the group, please email aotea@linkalliance.co.nz Want to know more? The Aotea Station team are here to provide information, answer questions and support our neighbours.  Please feel free to email us at  aotea@linkalliance.co.nz or phone us on 0800CRLTALK option 3  (0800 275 825 option 3) to chat about how we can help. Our email address is: aotea@linkalliance.co.nz  Our phone number is: 0800 CRL TALK (275 8255) then press 3 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. Click here if you wish to subscribe to future updates.