North Shore Times (New Zealand)
North congestion relief crawls ahead
A major project planned to reduce congestion in Albany and Mairangi Bay is one small step closer to starting.
The $700 million Northern Corridor Improvement project includes a connection between State Highway 1 and State Highway 18, improved local roads, new walking and cycling paths, and an extension to the Northern Busway.
Environment Minister Nick Smith decided the project’s consent process should be considered by a Board of Inquiry, due to its national significance.
The process, recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency, will be robust and allow communities to have a fair say, but the decision will be made in good time, Smith said.
The Environmental Protection Agency is now inviting submissions on the project, which requires six notices of requirement and 25 resource consents.
Work is expected to start in 2018/19.
The Northern Corridor Improvements will create motorway-to-motorway connections between SH1 and SH18, completing Auckland’s Western Ring Route as a motorway alternative to SH1, according to the New Zealand Transport Agency’s latest newsletter.
‘‘The Board of Inquiry will be robust... but the decision will be made in good time.’’ Nick Smith
There will also be extra lanes built on SH1 in both directions between Constellation Drive and Oteha Valley Rd, to reduce congestion and improve travel times.
Public transport will be improved with an extension to the popular Northern Busway, creating an uninterrupted route for buses from Constellation to Albany Bus Station.
Walking and cycling is also a big part of the project.
There will be a new shared walking and cycling path built alongside the new busway, from Oteha Valley Rd to Constellation Drive, then across and along SH18, connecting to the existing paths on Albany Highway.
A new walking and cycling bridge across SH1, from Spencer Rd in Pine Hill to Corinthian Drive in Albany, is also planned.
The project also includes improvements to local intersections. Paul Matthews Rd will be extended with a bridge over the new SH18 motorway, including on and off-ramps to SH18.
Both the Constellation Dr and Caribbean Dr intersections will be improved with additional lanes, while the Greville Rd interchange will be improved with a new layout, replacing the roundabout with lights on the eastern side of Greville Rd.