24 March 2017 | AUCKLAND & NORTHLAND

Southern Motorway closure for bridge stitch

Motorists travelling south on State Highway 1 between Manukau and Takanini should plan ahead and allow extra time for their journey as progress continues on the Southern Corridor Improvements project.

All southbound lanes on the Southern Motorway will be closed between the two interchanges from 8pmSaturday 1 April to 8am Sunday 2 April. All citybound lanes will remain open.

The closure will allow construction teams to connect a new section of the Papakura Stream Bridge to the existing southbound off-ramp in what is called a ‘bridge stitch’.

“A bridge stitch involves pouring concrete between the two structures to connect them together. The concrete takes about twelve hours to set and strengthen and any vibrations from passing traffic can affect this process, which is why we need to keep traffic away from this area,” says Brett Gliddon the Transport Agency’s Auckland Highway Manager.

A signposted detour route will be in place and will divert traffic to the following routes:

• SH1 traffic along Great South Road

• SH20 traffic heading northbound along Cavendish Drive

• SH20 traffic heading southbound onto Roscommon Road, Mahia Road and Great South Road

The NZ Transport Agency says delays are likely along the detour route and motorists are advised to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.

The NZ Transport Agency’s $268 million Southern Corridor project extends from Manukau to Papakura along State Highway 1 and will improve safety and journey reliability on Auckland’s Southern Motorway.

It’s creating extra lanes and ease the existing bottlenecks to help provide more consistent journey times through this route.

The upgrade of the Takanini Interchange will provide a new freight lane and ramps for better traffic flow, easier access to the motorway and will also improve safety for all road users including vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

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