Auckland Regional Office

4 September 2006

Media Release

New motorway and bridge for SH1 Central Motorway Junction

In a step closer to the completion of Auckland’s new motorway links, motorists travelling south on SH1 from the Auckland Harbour Bridge on Tuesday 5 September will drive on a new section of road.

On SH1 south of Wellington Street in the city, motorists will for the first time travel underneath a brand new bridge and see the impressive pohutukawa flower patterns embossed on the retaining wall panels.

Since November, motorists travelling south on SH1 have been using a temporary section of motorway between Cook Street off-ramp and Hopetoun Street bridge. During this time, the original road was lowered more than six metres and a new bridge was built above to carry the new link from SH1 to SH16 eastbound (the North to the Port) and SH1 to SH16 westbound (North to the Northwestern)

In December, all four of the new motorway to motorway connections will open (North to Port, Port to the North and North to the Northwestern and Northwestern to North.) For the first time in Auckland’s history, there will be direct motorway access from the Shore to the Northwest and vice versa and from the Shore to the Port and Quay St via Grafton Gully.

Motorists will be able to stay on the motorway from one side of the city to the other, instead of what currently happens at Union Street for example, where motorists leave SH1 at Cook Street and have to join the SH16 at Nelson Street. The new links will make cross city travel easier, safer and quicker.

The move onto the new section of SH1 will happen on Tuesday 5 September, unless poor weather slows progress. SH1 southbound will be closed completely between Cook Street off-ramp and Hobson Street on-ramp tonight from around 9.30pm, when traffic flows are lighter. This will enable resurfacing and barrier work to get the carriageway ready to carry vehicles on Tuesday. All lanes will reopen by 5am on Tuesday morning.

These changes are part of Transit’s Central Motorway Junction (CMJ) Stage 2 upgrade project, currently scheduled to be completed in December 2006.

For more information phone 0800 CMJ Core (0800 265 2673) or go to the website – www.transit.govt.nz/cmj

ENDS

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