Currently Browsing: motorways

When Motorways Go Bad

Posted by Jon C in motorwaysMar 14th, 2010 | 1 Comment
Incredible how many of the city’s roads can come to a standstill for hours because of one accident somewhere. Southern motorway jammed this afternoon for hours I can understand why the police serious crash section needs some time to analyse what happened, gather evidence, interview witnesses and clear the scene but the closedown of the motorway, when an accident occurs, does seem to take a very long time. The disruption is always especially bad in Wellington along the coast road, such as happened near Plimmerton last week,  as there are not workable alternatives. This afternoon, I saw for...
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Puhoi to Wellsford Road Moves Closer

Posted by Jon C in motorwaysMar 10th, 2010 | 3 Comments
The Puhoi to Wellsford roading link has moved closer today with NZTA awarding a contract  for investigation into the route. One option being investigated is to build the Warkworth Bypass first to relieve congestion at that point. However, NZTA still needs to know where the road north and south of that links into the bypass route so the full route will need to be known before itseek consents for that section. Puhoi to Wellsford is approximately 38kms long and will run from the northern end of the Northern Gateway Toll Road near Puhoi to north of Wellsford. Transport minister Steven Joyce says that...
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Motorway On Ramp Signals: “Consistent Increases”

Posted by Jon C in motorwaysMar 8th, 2010 | 8 Comments
Do the onramp signals make any good difference to traffic flows? It cost $68.7m to roll them out on the entire Auckland motorway over seven years so are we getting our money’s worth? A new report from NZTA says there are “consistent increases of some 15% in peak periods and a corresponding 15% in speed together with improved consistency and better safety.” It says that, at most locations, “more drivers are now using individual onramps compared to the same period before ramp signals were installed, with peak period increases of between 100 and 140 vph.” It admits there are “still periods...
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$168m SH1 Waikato Expressway Stage Approved

Posted by Jon C in General, Waikato, motorwaysMar 5th, 2010 | 4 Comments
The sign off this afternoon for a  $168.7 million funding package for the design and construction of the Te Rapa bypass as part of the SH1 Waikato expressway. Of the total cost, the NZTA will provide $156.7 million. The balance will be provided by Hamilton City Council ($11.7 million) and Waikato District Council ($0.3 million). Construction of the 7.2k section  will be underway by September, meaning three sections of the Waikato Expressway will be underway by next year – Te Rapa, Rangiriri and Ngaruawahia. The design and construction contract has been awarded to a three-way partnership...
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Newmarket’s Blue Crane Makes Light Work -Latest Photos

Posted by Jon C in General, Newmarket, motorwaysMar 2nd, 2010 | 7 Comments
Newmarket’s amazing Big Blue 140 metre long crane, towering 20 metres along the existing Newmarket viaduct, is making light work of a complex project. In its first week of operation, it has installed 19 segments at the northern end of the new bridge. There’s a lot more work to do, though. It will be lifting a further 150 individual segments in coming months. This to complete the new southbound structure. The unconventional crane is enabling the motorway to be kept open in both directions while the work is done to construction a new four-lane southbound motorway bridge in time for the RWC....
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Spectacular Southwestern Motorway Bridge Span Lifted Overnight – Photos

Posted by Jon C in SH20, motorwaysMar 1st, 2010 | 4 Comments
The main span of the new and spectacular Beachcroft foot bridge over the Southwestern Motorway was lifted into place by a large crane and an army of workers overnight. It was done with incredible military precision and the lift went 100% according to plan. It was like watching a giant Mecanno set being assembled. The lift happened after a full overnight motorway closure between the Hillsborough Road and Neilson Street motorway interchanges. The existing foot bridge over the motorway between Hillsborough and Onehunga was being replaced because it is not long enough to fit over the widened motorway...
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Transport Minister: Manukau Harbour Crossing Ready in August

Posted by Jon C in Manukau, motorwaysFeb 26th, 2010 | 16 Comments
The Manukau Harbour Crossing project on the Southwestern Motorway will be complete and open this August – seven months ahead of schedule, and well in time for the RWC. Transport Minister Steven Joyce told a news conference in Auckland this morning he  estimated that when complete, the new crossing will result in travel time savings of up to 20 minutes between CBD and Airport, as a result of congestion relief. The new section of road had been due to be finished in March next year. The $230M project will double capacity on the Southwestern Motorway to eight lanes between Onehunga and Mangere. The...
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Hobsonville Motorway Half-Finished: – Photos

Posted by Jon C in Hobsonville, motorwaysFeb 25th, 2010 | 3 Comments
The half-finished Hobsonville motorway was open to the public for a few hours to walk and cycle. The route spanned 6.3km of the new motorway from Clarks Lane footbridge continuing to Trig Road Bridge, SH16/SH18 flyover and then onto Brigham Creek Road/SH16. The six kilometre, four-lane Hobsonville motorway is the last section of the new SH18 to be completed and will connect to the Upper Harbour Bridges and Greenhithe motorway at the eastern end and the Northwestern Motorway at the western end. Many thanks to the reader who these fascinating photos and thanks for allowing them to be shared...
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Wellington Gets Lane Control Signs

Posted by Jon C in motorwaysFeb 23rd, 2010 | 4 Comments
Wellington motorists are to follow Auckland is having electronic ‘Lane Control Signs’ on their motorways. The signs go up in the capital on SH1 from the Terrace Tunnel in Wellington city to Ngauranga Gorge  next month. Mounted on gantries and bridges straddling the motorway, the signs will display symbols to inform motorists of lane closures and revised speed limits. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Wellington Gets Lane Control Signs", url: "http://www.aucklandtrains.co.nz/2010/02/23/wellington-gets-lane-control-signs/" });
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Bill English: $7 Billion On Building State Highways

Posted by Jon C in General, motorwaysFeb 18th, 2010 | 29 Comments
Finance minister Bill English , in a speech in Auckland this afternoon, confirmed that the government will spend $7 billion on improving State Highways in the coming five years. And he warned that the public sector needs to lift its game. He suggested public-private partnerships, or PPPs is one way. Bill English told a combined Massey University and Auckland Chamber of Commerce lunch, that next month, he will release the first National Infrastructure Plan. “It’s a snapshot of existing projects, planned investment and the Government’s priorities.” But the Government wants to learn...
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Northern Gateway Work Being Done

Posted by Jon C in motorwaysFeb 15th, 2010 | 1 Comment
I had to travel north last week and love the Northern Gateway. I’m quite happy to pay $2 to get a quicker ride, even though the traffic I struck trying to get to Albany at rushhour made me realise the stressful stop-start rides many Aucklanders experience every day. But I can’t make out why so many Auckland-bound people approaching the toll road decide to take the offroad to queue at the self-service ticket place, when it’s so easy just to pay online, especially as you’re given a few days to do so after you’ve made the trip. By the time they fiddled around getting...
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Dusty Ride To Cape Reinga Almost Over

Posted by Jon C in motorwaysFeb 8th, 2010 | 2 Comments
Sealing the last remaining 19 kilometres of SH1 – to Cape Reinga in Northland – is now in its closing stages with work beginning on the final five kilometres to Waitiki Landing where the sealed section of the national highway currently ends. When the project is finished, SH1 will, for the first time, be 2022 kilometres of sealed highway from Cape Reinga to Bluff. Weather permitting, sealing and associated widening of the road is due to be completed in May. Work on the $19.5m project began in September, 2007.  “The clouds of dust that plagued drivers heading for the Cape will soon be a thing...
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The Big SH20 Pylon Drop: Up Close Photos

Posted by Jon C in SH20, motorwaysFeb 4th, 2010 | No Comments
There has been considerable interest in the 35-metre steel pylon erected at the site of the new Beachcroft Avenue foot bridge over the Southwestern Motorway (SH20) at Onehunga and thanks again to James for his excellent coverage overnight which made us want more. To get a birds eye view, thanks to the Manukau Harbour Crossing Alliance (thanks Queenie) and NZTA, here are some close-up photos as the team did the hoist last night. The bridge’s bright blue trusses will be installed, also under night closures of the motorway, later in February. It is expected to be completed in early April, after...
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Mighty Steel Pylon Over SH20 Tonight

Posted by Jon C in SH20, motorwaysFeb 3rd, 2010 | 1 Comment
A 35-metre steel pylon will be erected overnight at the site of the new Beachcroft Avenue foot bridge over the Southwestern Motorway (SH20) at Onehunga. The pylon will support a new cable-stayed foot bridge that is expected to become a landmark on Auckland’s planned Western Ring Route. It will be lifted into place by crane under an overnight closure of the northbound lanes of the motorway. The new Beachcroft footbridge will replace an existing bridge that is too short to fit across all lanes of the widened motorway below.  It will be a 3.5-metre wide shared cycle and pedestrian bridge connecting...
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Deck Segments Being Installed For New Mangere Bridge

Posted by Jon C in motorwaysFeb 1st, 2010 | No Comments
Mangere bridge lift | NZTA From tomorrow, there will be nightly closures of Onehunga Harbour Road, for installation of deck segments for the new Mangere Bridge. Onehunga Harbour Road will be closed between 11pm and 5am on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for most of the next six weeks. Detours will be in place for traffic that uses the road to get to and from the northbound lanes of the Southwestern Motorway (SH20). The pre-cast deck segments being installed over the road will form the connection between the new bridge itself and the motorway. The work is being done at night,...
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Auckland Cyclists Warned About High Tides!

Posted by Jon C in cycling, motorwaysJan 29th, 2010 | 2 Comments
Northwestern motorway cycleway users are being warned about the dangers from an unusual occurrence that is happening around Auckland next week. And motorists are also being warned. The rare phenomenon is unusually high tides for the Manukau and Waitemata Harbours. The transport agency says they have the potential to flood low lying sections of  the Auckland motorway network. High tides of up to 3.6m are expected first next week, in the first week of February, an occurrence that only happens every six to seven years. The area considered most likely to be affected is sections of the road and cycleway...
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NZTA Advisory On Long Weekend Traffic

Posted by Jon C in motorwaysJan 28th, 2010 | No Comments
The transport agency and police are getting ready to cope with traffic leaving town on Auckland anniversary weekend – the last long weekend until Easter, as Waitangi Day doesn’t fall on a weekday. “We know that there is a bottleneck Warkworth and the NZTA is working now to upgrade intersections on SH1 through the town to improve traffic flows,” said the NZTA’s Regional Director for Auckland and Northland, Wayne McDonald. “Although there will be no work in progress during the weekend, the worksite still has the potential to cause holdups and drivers should plan ahead to avoid...
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Puhoi Decision Hailed As “Victory For Logic & Common Sense”

Posted by Jon C in motorwaysJan 28th, 2010 | 3 Comments
The Government upgrade of SHIU from  Puhoi to Warkworth is being called “a victory for logic and common sense.” Rodney’s mayor Penny Webster today praised the transport Minister saying he has been “quick off the mark” in recognising the importance of the road to the northern economies. “A commitment to have the road upgraded was part of the (National Party’s) election campaign and has been reinforced since by our local MP, Lockwood Smith. Still, it’s a huge surprise to see the Government commitment reinforced so early and emphatically by Minister Joyce in...
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Planning For New Eastern Arterial Linking Dury, Papakura, Manukau

Posted by Jon C in motorwaysJan 28th, 2010 | No Comments
In Papakura, planning continues for a proposed eastern arterial route but consultation closes in a few weeks on February 15.. Mill Road Corridor will be a link between Drury in the south, Papakura itself and Manukau in the north, providing an alternative north-south route. Papakura Mayor Calum Penrose says no decision has yet been made on where the  proposed route will go as feedback from residents continues, but that time is running out There will be only one more information meeting for locals on February 8 at Accent Point in the Papakura Town Centre. The aim of the new route is to improve existing...
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No Chance Now of CBD Rail Loop, Says Labour

Posted by Jon C in motorwaysJan 27th, 2010 | 22 Comments
Labour claims an inner city rail loop is now on hold because of today’s decision to spend $1.4 billion on fast tracking the Puhoi to Wellsfield stretch of SH1. Mt Albert MP David Shearer says the decision to do this means, in Labour’s opinion, the government is not tuned in to the needs of Auckland commuters. “The Puhoi/ Wellsford road is a holiday highway which is only congested during the summer breaks. I share the frustrations that motorists have when heading north, but $1.4 billion could be better spent addressing Auckland’s major transport problems. And, building a by-pass at Warkworth,...
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Gull Says Motorists Shifting To Biofuel

Posted by Jon C in motorwaysJan 27th, 2010 | 1 Comment
Gull says December was a record month for biofuel sales –  40% of all Gull petrol now sold has biofuel content. Gull sells an average of 2% biofuel of total fuel sales by energy content, double the previous government’s biofuels sales obligation. Gull says that despite the critics, the success of Gull’s biofuels proves that biofuel can be commercially produced and sold here. To highlight the sales, Gull will lower all biofuel grades by 6c per litre from 7am on tomorrow until 10am Friday. Background: Gull launched New Zealand’s first biofuel, Gull Force 10, a 98 octane 10 per cent ethanol...
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$1.4b Upgrade of SH1 Puhoi To Wellsford

Posted by Jon C in General, motorwaysJan 27th, 2010 | 8 Comments
A $1.4 billion strategic upgrade of State Highway 1 from Puhoi to Wellsford. The first stage from Puhoi to Warkworth will be complete within 9 years. NZTA says the second stage (Warkworth to Wellsford) will be more challenging to finish in that time but that remains the transport agency’s goal. Transport minister Steven Joyce says that one option being investigated is to build the Warkworth Bypass first to relieve congestion at that point. “However, we would still need to know where the road north and south of that links into the bypass route so it will still take some time to get the consents...
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St Marks Rd On-Ramp To Remain Closed

Posted by Jon C in motorwaysJan 22nd, 2010 | No Comments
Remuera’s St Marks Rd on-ramp (southbound) will remain closed for one more week, re-opening at 5.30am on Friday January 29. The motorway on-ramp, which is being re-positioned to accommodate the new Newmarket Viaduct as part of the NZTA’s $215M Newmarket Connection project, has been closed throughout January. By extending the closure a further week, when traffic volumes are still comparatively light,  NZTA says it will be able to make significant progress that “will enable us to bring forward the overall completion date of these works.” Detours are in place along Great South Road and...
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Waterview Connection Will Use New Consent Process

Posted by Jon C in motorwaysJan 20th, 2010 | 2 Comments
NZTA says the new national consenting process is being used to get the Waterview Connection moving because it “offers a focused and certain process that will deliver nationally significant benefits in a timely manner.” The new process replaces the two step process but the public can still make submissions. The transport agency will lodge an application with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) by June. NZTA Regional Director for Auckland and Northland Wayne McDonald says the use of the new national consenting process would not affect the NZTA’s approach to consultation with those...
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Auckland Motorway Projects Pushed Forward

Posted by Jon C in motorwaysJan 20th, 2010 | 4 Comments
The Lincoln Road interchange on the Northwestern Motorway will now commence construction this year . And NZTA has decided to apply for the Waterview Connection to be considered under the new national consenting process. That was announced this morning by transport minister Steven Joyce during an inspection of the project at the Hobsonville Deviation. Mr Joyce said that the new consenting process for the Waterview Connection project would replace the usual two-step process of a council hearing followed by an Environment Court hearing, with either a single hearing before a board of inquiry, or...
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