Motorway upgrade work continues

Regular motorway ramp closures, shoulder closures and lane realignment work continues between the Upper Queen Street over-bridge and the Gillies Ave on and off-ramps. The work is part of Transit New Zealand¡¦s Central Motorway Junction project.

The Gillies Ave on-ramp will be closed from 6am Sunday morning (2 November) and will not re-open until 6am the following morning (Monday 3 November). During this time, motorists who want to travel northbound on the Southern Motorway (SH1) should access the motorway via the Wellington Street on-ramp. Westbound (SH16) motorists should use the Newton Road on-ramp.

The layout of lanes on the Southern Motorway between the Upper Queen Street over-bridge and the Grafton Road on-ramp is to change. Work will take place in the area next Tuesday night (3 November), and from 6am Wednesday morning (4 November) the lanes will have narrowed. The change is to allow work on the shoulder of the motorway to take place. Motorists should take care as they adjust to the change.

Motorists are reminded that the layout of the Gillies Ave on-ramp has changed. On-ramp traffic now enters the motorway in a separate lane rather than merging directly with motorway traffic. There may be some delays in the area for through traffic heading north on the Southern Motorway. This layout will be in place until mid-November and is to allow construction of a new sign gantry foundation on the side of the motorway.

The extension of the project means that there will be intensive construction activity, and major changes for motorists, from mid July through to the completion of the first stage in 2005.
Other changes that will come into affect in July and August will include:

„PThe Wellesley Street off-ramp will be closed to all traffic on the night of 14 July, and will be reduced to one lane until January 2005.
„PThe barriers and screens that have separated southbound traffic from construction activity since September 2002 will progressively move to the northbound side, to allow work to continue on the other side of the motorway. The northbound shoulder between the Gillies Ave on-ramp and the Khyber Pass off-ramp will be closed from mid July until . The southbound shoulder will re-open to traffic when this move is completed.
„PWork will move to the median area of the Southern Motorway from late July. This will include the removal of existing concrete barriers and the installation of temporary barriers and screens in the middle of the motorway. Both north and southbound lanes will be re-marked to allow for four lanes in each direction. This will involve major changes for northbound motorists from early August.
„PAlmorah Road will be closed to all traffic, including residents¡¦ vehicles, from early August until the end of 2003.

More information on specific changes, and the project in general, can be obtained from the project information centre at the corner of Stanley Street and Alten Road, Grafton (open 8.30am ¡V 5.30pm, Mondays ¡V Fridays), by phoning the project office on 0800 ToFreeflow (0800 863 733) or by visiting the Transit website: www.transit.govt.nz.

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