North Shore City media release

Stage one of Onewa Road upgrade to be completed in June

8 May, 2008

The first stage of the Onewa Road upgrade is almost complete and the widened section of road over Onepoto Creek will be finished in June. It is part one of a two stage project by North Shore City Council to build a dedicated car pooling/ bus priority lane stretching from Lake Rd to Sylvan Road.

Onewa Road is one of the most congested roads in the city but once the upgrade is complete a lot more people will be able to travel quickly down it during peak hours in the morning and evening.

The project is part of North Shore City Council's improvements to transport which include new road layouts, creating bus-only lanes, and transit lanes for buses and other vehicles including cars with three or more people in them (T3 lanes).

A bus priority lane will in now extend all the way down Onewa Road, allowing buses to move faster onto the southern motorway and across the Harbour Bridge for a quicker commuter journey into Auckland City. The bridge at the bottom of Onewa Road has been widened and a new left turn lane into Sylvan Avenue created. To improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians, a new bridge and scenic path have been put in.

The cost of the upgrade is $2.7 million.

Stage two will see work begin on the middle part of Onewa Road where it connects with Lake Road. The Onewa upgrade has been carried out in parallel with Transit NZ's improvements to the SHI interchange, to increase safety for motorists and provide better access to buses and high occupancy vehicles. It is due for completion in January next year. The existing bus lane on Onewa Road has been very effective in preventing a worsening of congestion since it was introduced. It is a T3 lane, which means buses, taxis, motorbikes or vehicles with three or more people car pooling can use it. The congestion is caused by the high number of vehicles with just one person in them ("sole occupant vehicles") wanting to use the route at the same time.

In the T3 transit lane, vehicles move quickly and certainly much faster than traffic in the other lanes. Two thirds of people travelling down Onewa Road in peak morning times are now using this lane.

ENDS

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