More to Meola than meets the eye
Partly built on landfill, Meola Road was constructed nearly 80 years ago to connect Auckland’s outer city suburbs of Westmere and Point Chevalier.
Today around 10,000 cars, buses, motorcycles, trucks, along with people on bikes and foot use this stretch of road every day, with between 900-1,000 vehicles per hour during peak travel times.
As the community has grown, so has the way the road is used and, partly due to its age, it is no longer fit-for-purpose.
Auckland Transport (AT), alongside the community, has been working to make
Meola Road, Point Chevalier
Road, and Garnet Road safer, more accessible, and resilient; rebuilding the foundations and working with other infrastructure providers, so the area can sustain another 80 years of progress.
The community has told AT, along with other feedback, that on-street parking is important, particularly outside shops and businesses. Along the route, parking will be kept where possible, while prioritising safety and accessibility.
Initially, basic road improvements were anticipated to be completed in the first half of this year, however, as planning and understanding community needs progressed, it became clear that AT could future proof the area and prevent future disruption by doing more all at once.
AT is focused on adapting to our changing climate. Making Meola Road higher, above the flood plain, will make it more resilient to flooding and climate related disruptions and damage.
Underground powerlines, upgraded fibre and stormwater pipes are also being installed as part of a ‘dig once’ approach to save money and avoid significant future disruption. Good progress has been made and the extended road closure means AT will finish combined projects faster overall, by up to two months, and will save around $400,000.
Work on Meola Road, Pt
Chevalier Road and Garnet Road is now expected to be finished by mid-2025.
Amid the hard work and disruption, the crew on-theground have reported back several stories of heart-warming community support.
During the searing heat in the height of summer, locals were delivering ice blocks to exhausted road workers, who must work in full safety gear regardless of the temperature and a digger operator had an eager little fan, excitedly waiting every morning for him to start work, watching from inside the safety of his fence with his mum.
In February, Point Chevalier Air
Scouts Kea, Scout and Cub groups visited a construction site on
Meola Road to learn more about the project and road construction in general from the AT project manager. “We had such an amazing experience... The kids loved it, they learnt so much about their community and how roads are made and why the road is being replaced” said Group Leader Nick
Quail.
Some of the Scouts brought along baking to share with the construction crew too, which was much appreciated.
Trevor Mabely, 81 years young, came out of retirement due to a shortage of truck drivers in the industry and is pictured here enjoying a short break with a cookie courtesy of the Point
Chevalier Air Scouts.
Despite what many people see and think, AT’s work involves so much more than just traffic management.
A number of exotic trees have been removed from Meola Road, where they conflict with the new road layout and will be replaced with native trees. Kōwhai, Pūriri,
Tītoki, and Pōhutukawa will attract and provide a great habitat for native bird populations.
Foliage from several of the trees removed were able to be given to a neighbouring zoo to feed the growing giraffe tower and a colony of native skinks discovered were captured and rehomed in
an environment much safer than beside a busy road.
Planting in other areas with low-level shrubs, and around
Meola Reef Reserve is being done to create planted swales, to filter water run-off from the road, and protect local waterways.
The current closure on Meola
Road will reopen to traffic on
Monday 28 April but there is a lot more work to do, which will be carried out in stages until
December 2024.
The new cycleway and street improvements will give people more travel choice and make it easier and safer to bike and walk.
This will reduce traffic congestion for those who must drive as well as reduce our impact on the environment and improve health and wellbeing for those using it.
A safe cycleway, connected to a wider network of cycling routes, along with improved pedestrian access, will enable more people to access local businesses, parks, and sportsgrounds, by bike or on foot.
As always, AT is doing its best to minimise the effects of these works on businesses, neighbours, pedestrians, and motorists but they are also appealing to the public to reduce non-essential travel in the area by taking alternative routes wherever possible.