Holman Highway 68 Roundabout, California, USA
City of Monterey, Pebble Beach Company, Caltrans, the Transportation Agency of Monterey County, Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District, County of Monterey, City of Pacific Grove, the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula
The Holman Highway 68 roundabout project implemented a multi-lane, sustainable, low-maintenance, user-friendly roundabout to relieve congestion along Holman Highway, one of the Monterey Peninsula’s main transportation corridors. The project replaced a signalised intersection joining the Highway 1 on- and off-ramps to Highway 68 and the famous 17-Mile Drive, which previously caused commuter frustration, increased air pollution, and restricted access to the local hospital, compelling impatient drivers to invent detours through adjacent residential neighbourhoods.
GHD provided project management, traffic operations/analysis, and specialty engineering design. Multiple staging and contingency plans were required to mitigate traffic congestion and confusion, while simultaneously maintaining access for residents and emergency services. The design was optimised to minimise harm to the coastal habitat and preserve over 400 Monterey pine trees, protecting the scenic character of the area. The final roundabout solution had significantly fewer impacts and was less than half the cost of a previously planned project.
Manawatu Gorge, Manawatu, New Zealand
New Zealand Transport Agency
Running through the spectacular Manawatu Gorge, New Zealand’s State Highway 3 is an important transport link, connecting the Manawatū-Whanganui and Hawke’s Bay regions. However, this section of the highway has been prone to landslides and has been closed since April 2017.
To support the economic growth of the two regions, GHD Advisory was selected to deliver a business case for an 11.5km alternative route, with a focus on creating a safer and more resilient road.
GHD Advisory provided the overall management, facilitation and production of the detailed business case and economic assessment, while the wider GHD teams worked on highway and bridge concept design, environmental assessments, planning assessments and advice, stakeholder engagement, geological mapping, as well as geotechnical assessment.
The final deliverable was a true piece of teamwork delivered under pressure, drawing on teams from across multiple offices in NZ, Australia and Chile.
State Highway 1 Ellerslie Acoustic Barrier, Auckland, New Zealand
NZ Transport Agency
The Ellerslie acoustic barrier project was initiated by the local community and the New Zealand Transport Agency to mitigate the noise and air pollution effects of more than 100,000 vehicles travelling on this section of State Highway 1.
GHD designed nearly 1 km of acoustic barriers, made up of 233, 3-metre-high panels, sitting on a fibre-reinforced concrete footing, which varies in dimension to fit the narrow corridor.
The core design philosophy was to create a continuous wall with consistent elements, instead of discrete post and panels that usually make up noise walls.
The result is a seamless piece of infrastructure that responds to the overall road corridor, complementing road structures and landscape. The design is inspired by the history of early Maori settlers, who used ‘waka’ canoes as their main form of transportation. The noise panels incorporate Maori decorative elements symbolising spiritual warning and protection developed by Maori artist and designer Johnson Witehira.