T2 lane changes proposed

A year after completion, one of Auckland Transport’s biggest roading projects on the North Shore has created peak-time chaos in Albany.

The $38 million Albany Highway North upgrade opened six months ahead of schedule in October 2016 and part of the significant project included a widened road with T2 transit lanes.

Since the upgrade, concerns had been raised with AT regarding traffic congestion at the intersection of Rothwell Ave and Albany Highway as drivers attempt to turn out of the side road and now have to cross across the new T2 lane to join the line of traffic on Albany Highway.

Commuter traffic backed up during peak-times along the highway and the feeder road.

An AT report presented to Upper Harbour Local Board this month said AT had been monitoring the T2 lanes since installation and have ‘‘identified potential opportunities for improvement’’.

The T2 lane was designed not purely to service the five schools and the university along the stretch of road, but to also encourage carpooling and public transport use, according to AT.

Original plans for the road upgrade included a T3 lane that was changed to a T2, but AT documentation suggests it could change to T3 or bus-only in the future.

The report said AT is assessing options to safely improve efficiency at the intersection and investigations are expected to be completed within six months.

AT is also proposing shortening the T2 lane to end at the Rothwell Ave intersection, to improve traffic flow.

Any changes to the existing T2 lane, including length and hours of operation, would not be in place before 2018.