Auckland Regional Office

15 December 2003

MEDIA RELEASE

Holiday makers travelling north over the Christmas and New Year period can save time and inconvenience by using the State Highway 16 alternative route according to Transit New Zealand.

As many people will be heading for Matakana, Omaha and other points east, the section of State Highway 1 between Silverdale and Warkworth is once again likely to be heavily congested over the holiday period.

“For this reason, motorists travelling to and from anywhere north of Wellsford such as Whangarei, Dargaville and Northland over the festive season should use the State Highway 16 alternative route to avoid unnecessary queues and delays,” says Transit Regional Manager Wayne McDonald.

“We want to keep traffic moving over the holiday period, particularly as the weather is likely to be hot and we don’t want people stuck in their cars. To avoid this, motorists should follow the signs directing them to State Highway 16 from State Highway 1.”

SH16 can be easily reached by travelling to the end of the Northwestern Motorway and then through Kumeu and Helensville to Wellsford. Alternatively, it can be reached from SH1 via the Silverdale off-ramp, then SH17 and Kahikatea Flat Road.

SH16 between Silverdale and Wellsford is only 12 kilometres longer than SH1, so motorists travelling at peak times, especially, will save time in their journeys. “Although SH16 is a rural state highway, it is in very good condition and time-wise it is usually much quicker than travelling along SH1 during peak travel times,” says Mr McDonald.

This holiday period, Transit, the Police and Rodney District Council, will be working closely to help make travelling easier and safer for those travelling to and from the north. “Over past holiday periods, we have had great success in keeping traffic moving smoothly along SH16,” says Mr McDonald.

More information and a map showing the alternative route is available at www.transit.govt.nz

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www.transit.govt.nz

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