Subscribe to RSSCall For Fix Kirkbride Black Spot Now
The Auckland Business Forum is today calling on the NZTA to bring forward a start on the Kirkbride Road intersection,
The project would remove a major congestion bottleneck and accident black spot on the main route between Auckland Airport and the central City at the George Bolt Drive, says Auckland Business Forum chairman, Michael Barnett.
NZTA has not scheduled that starting until 2014.
Mr Barnett says the early completion announced recently of the new Manukau Harbour Bridge currently under construction creates a great opportunity to bring forward other long-planned road improvements on the main route between central Auckland and Auckland International Airport, such as this one.
Around 80,000 vehicles use the intersection every day, and this is expected to increase dramatically during the period of the Rugby World Cup in September next year.With around 70,000 additional visitors expected in Auckland during the Rugby World Cup, many arriving and departing from Auckland Airport, it made sense to bring forward the intersection upgrade to help ease the expected traffic congestion on roads between the Airport and central Auckland.
Removing the Kirkbride intersection will also allow bus priority lanes to the Airport that are part of the Manukau Harbour Crossing to be extended, said Mr Barnett
“Bringing the project forward will not only provide work continuity and help improve traffic flow earlier but save money in the long run through avoiding cost escalation impacts, making the project a worthwhile ‘value for money’ legacy proposition,” said Mr Barnett.
13 Comments
I saw a four-car crash there just last week.
Are they planning to grade separate this intersection? And leave space for the future rail corridor too I hope?
Bring on the grade separation here and the creation of a through lane at Montgomerie Road (left southbound, right northbound) that is not subject to the lights. These are two projects that I’d happily support as they’d reduce stopping times on the airport route
No need to hurry this for the RWC, for god’s sake. A few more buses won’t break it in the meantime - and anything done before middle of next year would likely be a tape & glue job anyway.
“Removing the Kirkbride intersection will also allow bus priority lanes to the Airport that are part of the Manukau Harbour Crossing to be extended, said Mr Barnett”
Sounds like a bit of PT wash to me. If we are going to go through the expense of grade separating the intersection then we should also get the rail designation done so the intersection can be built with it in mind.
I have travelled thru this junction for all the time that it has been in place.The so called expressway from the SW Motorway to the airport is a joke.At the same time take Montgomerey Rd Traffic Lights out as well,then let the silly “B”‘s that speed kill them selves.I have seen too many accidents on this road
It would be able to be done by the World Cup, I mean they are 7 months ahead on the new bridge!
It would be stupid to design this without including provision for the rail designation as that was part of the Manukau Harbour Crossing Project.
Ah RWCitis strikes again, really the whole corridor should have been grade seperated with a rail designation years ago…
agreed but it looks like we have to have big events to get anything done in this city. So lets make the most of it!
Were lots of infrastructure projects like these rushed through with the 1990 Commonwealth Games? Or has the nature of big events changed that lots of these things are necessary.
I’m sure its been mentioned before but some of the congestion problems between Kirkbride rd and the Mangere Bridge in the afternoon peak are worse than anything I’ve experienced in many other parts of the city. Upgrades are overdue on this road, it may be a happy political coincidence that it’s being done before the RWC but desperately needed changes soon anyway.
They could do it so it would essentially be like the New Lynn trench project, just for SH20…
“Upgrades are overdue on this road,”
Upgrades are overdue on this [non-existent] railway line. Just realise that the congestion isn’t just travellers going to the airport. It is also airplane and airport staff in the thousands, not to speak of the many thousands who work in the surrounding industrial and logistics companies.
Having a rail out there would take tons of those commuters of the road. Improving the road will actually defer the need for a train further.
“They could do it so it would essentially be like the New Lynn trench project”
Only if we get the train on top this time!
ingolfson - so true, we do need rail out there desprately, however this road also need to be updated, this intersection is a major choke point, and very un-pedestrain-friendly, it’s dangerous as cars come through at speed, and not to mention is a major choke point for buses going through to the Airport.
Rail should be done at the same time, as it should of with the Manukau Harbour Crossing project, but we know that is not going to happen