Auck Motorway Projects Update

in Motorways by Jon C — July 20, 2010 at 4:23 pm | 9 comments

Here’s an update from NZTA of all the hectic motorway projects and progress in the next few months leading up to Christmas.

The duplicate Manukau Harbour Crossing on the Southwestern Motorway will be officially opened on Sunday, 25 July – delivering increased capacity and improved connections to and from Auckland International Airport seven months early.
The phased opening of the extension of the Southwestern Motorway and its triple-level connection with the Southern Motorway [SH1] at Manukau follows in late August, and in early September, the southbound lanes of the new Newmarket Viaduct on the Southern Motorway become operational.

The Southwestern motorway extension at Manukau, for example, will eliminate 12 sets of traffic signals.

The SH20/1 connection at Manukau has to be opened progressively in three stages so that the 4.5 kilometre-long motorway can be completed. The first part – the southbound lanes and direct connections to the Southern Motorway – open in late August and the motorway will be fully operational in both directions by December.

Getting Newmarket ready for motorists in September, means the southbound lanes on the new viaduct to be aligned to the existing motorway and the gantry used in its construction moved.

Work on the three-lane Victoria Park Tunnel is reaching a critical stage.

Innovative work will enable the Victoria Park Tunnel project team to move the Rob Roy Hotel [previously known as the Birdcage Tavern] off its site temporarily in a few weeks, and then return the heritage building back when the tunnel is complete.

• An additional 4th southbound lane on the Southern Motorway across the Newmarket Viaduct to the Greenlane interchange will be finished late 2010/early2011.
• Progress to complete the final section of the Western Ring Route road of national significance – Auckland’s alternative motorway route to SH1 – is gathering momentum with the NZTA calling tenders to build the Waterview Connection.
• Construction of the Hobsonville Deviation and Brigham Creek Extension [SHs18 and 16] as part of the Western Ring Route is on track.
• The programme to strengthen the box girders on the Auckland Harbour Bridge will be completed later this year.

NZTA’s Wayne McDonald says “I don’t think Aucklanders will have seen a year like this in terms of the number of large transport projects coming on stream, their value, and their impact.”

Tags: Auckland Harbour Bridge Manukau Motorways NZTA Rob Roy southern motorway Victoria Park tunnel Waterview Western ring