Busy start to 2020 at Mt Eden

After a well-earned break over the Christmas period, the Mt Eden construction team returned to site on 6 January, eager to continue preparing the site for the start of construction this year.

Since the beginning of the year, you may have seen the demolition of several industrial buildings on Ngahura Street and Ruru Street. Currently, the low-rise industrial style buildings located between 8-26 Shaddock Street (at the rear of the former Life Church complex) are under demolition. Work is progressing towards the front section of the complex and is expected to be finished by mid-February. Demolition work then moves across the road to the site of the former Pressprint building, located within our yard at 28 Mt Eden Road, and 11 Water Street. This will see the majority of demolition work complete.

We are also finalising planning for the work that needs to be carried out to relocate utilities around the Mt Eden road-over-rail bridge. At this stage, work is scheduled to be starting at the end of February / early March. Mt Eden Road will remain open to two-way traffic while works are carried out. We will provide more information once planning has been finalised.

Trial blasting and monitoring

Work is also underway to prepare for trial blasting, which will be carried out in two locations within our construction site. Testing will be carried out over one day, scheduled for Wednesday 5th February 2020, in two windows between 10 – 10.30am and 2 – 2.30pm.

Trial blasts are used to gather information about the local geology. The results are used to determine appropriate blast sizes, patterns and sequences to effectively manage the levels of vibration. A dull ‘thud’ may be heard or felt nearby. The primary effect associated is ‘startle’ (being surprised by unexpected noise or vibration). This is alleviated by being aware of the windows above and listening for an audible siren 5 minutes, and then 30 seconds prior to the blast occurring.

Information from the trial blasts will help us to plan for the removal of basalt when excavation begins on the two trenches that will eventually connect the CRL rail lines from the existing Western Line into the tunnel portal. To remove the basalt a series of controlled blasts will be needed, using small charged explosives which will avoid having prolonged rock breaking activities.

Preparing for portal piling

The preparation for portal piling is now well underway! The road layout between Nikau Street and Flower Street is currently being reconfigured and is expected to be completed within the next two weeks, and Flower Street open again in early March. Diverting Flower Street on to the land left vacant by the demolition of 6 Flower St and 16 Nikau St enables us to create the space necessary to build the CRL tunnel portal under the Flower/Nikau St intersection.

At the Flower and Nikau Street intersection, bulk excavation work is currently being undertaken to create tiered platforms for the piling rig that will build the retaining walls of the portal. This rig arrived on-site last week (pictured below) can dig up to 40 metres deep and has a powerful diesel engine that is economical and low in emissions through selective catalytic reductions (an advanced active emissions control technology).

Portal piling will start from the 17^th February 2020 and will cause some noise and vibration, so we have monitoring equipment in place to measure noise, vibration and dust to help minimise the impact on our neighbours. We will be sending out more information about portal piling and what to expect from this activity early next week.

From rubble to road

Our concrete crusher arrived on site last month and has begun crushing the large stockpile of concrete material stored alongside the rail corridor.

The concrete is being crushed to build temporary roads for the construction site. By recycling the concrete in this way, we can reduce the amount of waste taken off site to landfill and the number of truck movements to and from the site

A key objective for the Link Alliance is to make sure its construction and operation not only minimises any negative impacts to the surrounding environment, but also provides positive benefits.

We’ll be taking a number of steps to minimise dust and noise nuisance from the crusher, including using a water mister / water cannon to dampen the material and reduce dust, and a three-sided screen to reduce noise for nearby residents. The machine will run during work hours only – 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, and Saturdays 7am to 2pm – until we’ve dealt with all the concrete waste from the buildings we’ve demolished.

Meet the team

This month we’re introducing one of the newest members of the Mt Eden team, our Communications and Engagement Advisor – Annabelle Wrigley.

Born and raised in Auckland, Annabelle spent the last couple of years working for the national grid down in Wellington. Last year she decided to migrate home to spend time with family and enjoy the sunshine (without the wind!).

Annabelle’s role at the Link Alliance is to keep locals and businesses in Mt Eden up to date about upcoming works in the area and to answer any queries or complaints you may have.

In her spare time Annabelle enjoys weekends away north of Auckland, coffee with friends and walking the family dog - Bogart. She’s excited to be a part of Mt Eden’s changing landscape and being able to get from Britomart to Mt Eden within nine minutes once CRL opens in 2024.

Annabelle and Bogart

Mollyhawks fly the coop before demolition

A Mollyhawk family that was ruling the roost at the top of one of our Shaddock Street buildings has successfully moved out ahead of the building’s demolition.

An eagle-eyed resident contacted us after seeing the parents dive-bomb our demolition contractors as they attempted to remove an air-conditioning unit from the roof. He confirmed the nesting family had made themselves at home on the vacant building and that the three fledglings looked like they were still weeks away from flying.

The demolition crew moved to a different part of the building until the chicks grew strong enough to fly, however with a 20^th January demolition looming, the team was watching them like a hawk to ensure they took flight.

Fortunately, five days before the demolition was scheduled, all three fledglings were spotted flying the coop.

An example of the bird nesting on one of our Shaddock Street buildings

Hidden treasures under 6 Flower Street

One of the Link Alliance’s key objectives is to contribute to cultural sustainability. It has employed an archaeologist to document and, where appropriate, preserve archaeological items found during construction.

This month the construction team uncovered some old treasures within the remaining topsoil uphill from 6 Flower Street.

Pictured above left is a stoneware lid marked by ‘David Storer & Sons Glasgow’ with their company logo – a bell. David Storer & Sons manufactured oils, paints and varnishes. Their products were available in New Zealand from the 1870s until 1887, when the company went bankrupt. Unfortunately, the precise product used cannot be discerned, however it was likely used either on the exterior of the old cottage that used to sit on 6 Flower Street cottage or on a piece of furniture inside.

The image on the right is an Asiatic Pheasant banded ceramic plate. The banded blue willow is commonly seen on early sites and is estimated to be from the late 1800s.

To find out more about some of the artefacts uncovered on the City Rail Link project, visit the website here.

Community information sessions re-start 5 February

Since September 2019, Link Alliance’s Mt Eden Station team has hosted regular information sessions for the community at its office at 97 Mt Eden Road. It’s been great to meet so many locals and also those from further afield who are following the CRL project with interest.

We’re hosting the first ‘Mt Eden Info Hub’ of the year on Wednesday 5 February, followed by three other sessions this month on Wednesday 12, 19 and 26. Come along from 4.30pm - 6.30pm to meet the team and find out more about upcoming Mt Eden works and the wider CRL project.

If you can’t make the info hub sessions but would like to talk to the Mt Eden team, please phone us on 0800 CRL TALK (press option 5 for Mt Eden) or email us at mteden@linkalliance.co.nz to arrange a suitable alternative time for a chat.