24 October 2018 | AUCKLAND & NORTHLAND

New plans to improve safety, access and resilience between Whāngarei and Te Hana

The NZ Transport Agency has released plans for the Whāngarei to Te Hana transport corridor to improve safety and resilience in the short and medium term as well as planning now for future population growth.

The Transport Agency has re-evaluated plans for the corridor to ensure they align with new priorities set out in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS).

This work is now complete and supports the government’s vision for a safer transport network free of death and injury, accessible and affordable transport, value for money and reduced emissions.

The NZ Transport Agency’s General Manager, System Design and Delivery, Brett Gliddon, says the plans will deliver short term safety improvements and more reliable access on the existing state highway while continuing to plan and protect land for a new route in the long term.

“This programme will make it easier for people to access the port and Auckland and will also give people more access to a range of choices including public transport, walking and cycling. It provides for two separate routes across the wider corridor which will improve resilience and provide greater choice.”

“To begin with we will deliver short term safety improvements between Whāngarei and Port Marsden Highway (SH15) to make it safer, such as roadside barriers, median barriers, centre line widening and improved road marking. We will work with our Council partners to support land use development and enable greater transport choices within the existing corridor. This could include priority or high occupancy lanes in the urban section of SH1.”

“At the same time we will continue to future proof for a new route between Whāngarei and SH15. Along with the existing road, this will create four lanes of capacity. Land will be designated for a future transport corridor to be built on a better alignment and to the best safety standards. The construction timing and the form of the new route will depend on growth and funding priorities across the rest of the country.”

Safety improvements are planned for the existing road between Port Marsden Highway (SH15) and Te Hana which will include side barriers, median barriers, centre lane widening and intersection upgrades.

“To improve resilience we will upgrade existing alternative routes around the Brynderwyn Hills and will investigate and protect a new route where appropriate with construction timing based on prioritisation of projects nationally.”

Safety improvements are already underway through the Dome Valley and we will continue work to protect a new future route between Warkworth and Wellsford. This means we will still have the ability to construct in these designations when the timing is right, which is still at least ten years away.

In December the funding allocations for the 12 re-evaluated corridors across the country will be considered against funds available nationally and the timing of the programme will be confirmed. We will update people as soon as we can once that process has been completed.

“We appreciate people’s patience as we’ve worked through this important re-evaluation process and recognise the frustration that uncertainty can bring. We have been working as quickly as we can to align with new Government priorities and provide the best outcomes and value for money for communities now and in the future,” says Brett Gliddon.

More information about the project and the re-evaluation process can be found here:

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/connecting-northland/whangarei-to-te-hana/

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/planning-and-investment/national-land-transport-programme/project-re-evaluations/

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