24 May 2013
PM celebrates start of Auckland’s big causeway upgrade
The Prime Minister, John Key, today turned the first spade of soil marking the official start of work on the NZ
Transport Agency’s $220m upgrade of the Northwestern Motorway (State Highway 16) causeway in west Auckland.
The upgrade is one of six connected infrastructure projects to join the Northwestern and Southwestern (SH20) motorways
as part of the Western Ring Route road of national significance to improve both city and North Island regional transport
connections.
At this morning’s ceremony, Mr Key was joined by the Minister of Transport, Gerry Brownlee, Auckland Council and NZTA
representatives, elders from Te Kawerau a Maki and Ngati Whatua and the Causeway Alliance responsible for the upgrade.
The 4.8km-long Causeway Upgrade Project will raise and widen the existing six-lane causeway and add extra lanes between
Great North Road (Waterview) and Te Atatu interchanges. This will prevent flooding onto the motorway during extreme high
tides and weather conditions.
“The Causeway Upgrade Project is one part of our programme of works to complete the Western Ring Route – a motorway
alternative to SH1- that will have a significant impact for people driving in Auckland and for those driving through the
city,” says the NZTA’s State Highways Manager for Auckland and Northland, Tommy Parker.
The projects that will link the two motorways are:-
• Maioro Street interchange upgrade (SH20) – completed
• Waterview Connection (SH20/16) – construction underway
• Causeway Project Upgrade (SH16) – construction officially underway today
• Lincoln Rd interchange upgrade (SH16) – construction underway
• Te Atatu Rd interchange upgrade – under tender
• St Lukes interchange upgrade (SH16) – seeking industry expressions of interest
“This is a massive amount of work and the challenge for the NZTA is to coordinate all these projects and have them
completed by the time we plan to have traffic using the tunnels at Waterview at the end of 2016,” Mr Parker says.
The Causeway Upgrade Project is being constructed by the Causeway Alliance – made up of the NZTA, AECOM, Coffey, Fulton
Hogan, Leighton Contractors and Sinclair Knight Merz – and it is scheduled to be completed in late 2016.
“The upgrade will improve travel times for commuters, freight and also bus users. We’re also aiming to keep the motorway
open and flowing during peak times as we construct the project over the next three-and-a-half years.
“By raising the causeway 1.5 metres to prevent flooding onto the lanes we’ll create a safer and more reliable route for
all road users,” says Mr Parker. “The result will be a more level surface, protected from the nearby marine reserve.”
Other key features include widening the motorway between the Whau River Bridge near Te Atatu and the Great North Road
Interchange to four lanes citybound and four/five lanes westbound. Bus shoulder lanes will be extended and facilities
improved for walkers and cyclists on the Northwestern shared path alongside the motorway.
The project team will be using special measures to reduce the impact on the Motu Manawa Pollen Island marine reserve
beside the causeway. Data gathered from earlier trials last year will be used during construction to monitor the effects
on birdlife and the environment.
Taupuni - the project’s temporary base has been set up in Te Atatu next to the pony club overlooking the harbour.
Preparatory work has started and the work will stretch from the Whau River Bridge near Te Atatu to Waterview, including
improvements to the Rosebank and Patiki interchanges.
Some lane layout changes are already in place on State Highway 16 including the priority lane at the Great North Road
westbound on-ramp which has temporarily closed.
For more information about the project visit: www.nzta.govt.nz/sh16causeway
Roads of National Significance: As part of the Western Ring Route, the Causeway Upgrade Project is crucial to supporting growth in Auckland and
improving transport links between the city and the economic centres of Northland and Waikato/Bay of Plenty.
The Western Ring Route – the Causeway Upgrade Project and the adjacent Waterview Connection project to link the
Southwestern and Northwestern Motorways (SH20 & 16) - is part of the NZTA’s roads of national significance programme (RoNS for short), which represents one of New
Zealand’s biggest-ever infrastructure investments. Once completed, the seven RoNS routes will reduce congestion in and
around our five largest metropolitan areas, and will move people and freight between and within these centres more
safely and efficiently.
Other RoNS are: Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Wellsford north of Auckland, Auckland’s Victoria Park Tunnel (completed in 2012),
Waikato Expressway, Tauranga Eastern Link, Wellington Northern Corridor, and Christchurch Motorways. More information is
available at www.nzta.govt.nz/rons.
ENDS