Transit New Zealand Auckland Regional Office

10 February 2005

First road closure for Esmonde Road interchange upgrade project

Work begins this week on the upgrading of the Esmonde Road interchange which is an integral part of the 8.5km Northern Busway project from Constellation Drive to the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

As a result, the Esmonde Road off-ramp (SHI northbound) will be closed overnight from 10pm on Thursday 10 February to 6am on Friday 11 February. This closure is to install temporary concrete barriers prior to the start of construction work. Access to Akoranga Drive from the off-ramp will also be restricted during this closure.

The detour route is via the Northcote Road Interchange. In the event of bad weather, the work will be postponed until the next clear night.

When completed, the upgraded Esmonde Road interchange will provide a vital east-west road connection for vehicles and pedestrians, as well as access to the motorway for northbound traffic and a southbound motorway off-ramp. The interchange will also incorporate a tunnel on the eastern side of the motorway to allow for the Busway.

Within the next few weeks construction will also begin on other elements of the Busway. This will include civil construction work on the Akoranga bus station - one of five stations planned for the Busway. When completed, the Akoranga station will provide an important public transport access point to the growing North Shore campus of the Auckland University of Technology.

Project director, Clive Fuhr, says when fully completed the Busway, and associated bus priority measures, will provide a public transport spine that will run from the North Shore to Auckland city, including Britomart. "It's great to see full construction underway. The completed Busway will bring passenger transport options to the North Shore in a way that has never been available in the past. On completion, public transport will become a very viable option for this part of the region," he says.

ENDS

© Scoop Media