Subscribe to RSSEast Coast Rd A Winner
Auckland Transport’s East Coast Road Widening project was a winner at the 2011 Roading NZ Excellence Awards this week.
The $10.7 million East Coast Road upgrade - delivered by Auckland Transport and contractors Fulton Hogan, Resolve Group and GHD - won the Medium Road Project category of the national awards against some stiff competition from around the country, including the SH2 Matahorua Gorge realignment (Napier), SH1 Ohingaiti to Makohine realignment (Rangitikei) and Pyes Pa bypass (Tauranga).
Auckland Transport CEO David Warburton says a proactive approach was taken by the entire team to ensure a successful outcome for what was a challenging construction project.
“The project was always going to be a challenging one, covering a 1km stretch of road in a built-up residential area, right outside the biggest high school in Australasia, with traffic flows hitting an average 22,000 vehicles per day on week days and up to 30,000 on weekends due to the proximity to popular North Shore beaches,” he says.
The upgrade of East Coast Road (between Hastings and Rosedale Rds) improved traffic flow and safety on the busy arterial route by widening the roadway to provide two traffic lanes in each direction, providing a new centre median to improve access in to and out of properties and dedicated cycle lanes in each direction.
Other project features included wider footpaths, new kerb and channel, improved street lighting, safety improvements to the intersections and traffic lights near Rangitoto College and Windsor Park Shops car park, improved stormwater systems, six retaining walls, brand new road surfaces and the relocation and upgrade of existing underground services.
Auckland Transport and Fulton Hogan worked together to amend the initial retaining wall construction and road surface designs to allow faster and cheaper construction.
Environmental considerations were also a priority, leading to Winter Works permits being granted so construction could fast-track through the rainy months. These permits are only granted if the contractor can show that all environmental controls are in place and the site is being managed correctly.
AT says there were weekly updates, consultation events and presentations offered to those impacted by the works, including the 2,000 strong congregation of the Windsor Park Church and the 3,000-plus roll of Rangitoto College.
2 Comments
The cycle lanes are welcome given so many students cycle to school or use the road to get to Massey Uni, not to mention recreational cyclists heading to Takapuna or the Albany Hills, and commuter cyclists making for the Constellation busway station
I agree with Carl, this road northbound on a bicycle was definitely substandard, the lanes narrow and inadequately trimmed foliage growing over the left lane making you move out into the traffic on a relatively narrow lane.
Now we have a world class road of four traffic lanes with a median plus adequate cycle lanes at the side.
However, having said that last week some donkey had parked his/her van totally blocking the southbound cycle lane half way down the hill at a point where you freewheel at 50kph. A considerate motorist let me into the general lane to pass and I then went back for vehicle details which were sent to the Dob In Police site