Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is about to start geotechnical surveys on State Highway 16 to inform the design of safety improvements along the road corridor between Brigham Creek and Kumeū.

This is Stage Two of planned safety improvements on SH16 between Brigham Creek and Waimauku and includes widening the road and bridges, adding a flush median, flexible safety barriers and making it safer to make right hand turns.

Work on Stage Two is continuing even though the start of Stage One improvements (SH16 Huapai to Waimauku) is on hold while a notice of requirement appeal is resolved.

The survey work will range from truck-mounted rigs drilling into the ground to excavators collecting soil and subsurface samples, with other equipment monitoring underground water. The survey teams will be working along the roadside, with plans to survey on private property in the future.

“The surveys will tell us a lot more about the type of rock and soil in the area, which helps the design of the route and how we manage and mitigate the impacts of the project, ” says Waka Kotahi Senior Manager Project Delivery Andrew Thackwray.

The work will start on Monday, 7 December and take up to 4 weeks. There will be temporary speed limits where the teams are working from 9:00AM to 3:00PM. There will be road shoulder closures, but traffic lanes will remain open.

“We appreciate this is a busy section of the state highway and the survey work will require traffic management to keep the road open. We ask road users to be patient, allow extra time for their journey and keep to temporary speed limits to ensure the safety of our road crews.”

The survey teams will primarily work on:

• SH16 between Kennedys Road to 300 SH16 (just before the Coatesville/Riverhead highway)
• SH16 between Coatesville/Riverhead Highway to Taupaki roundabout
• SH16 between Taupaki roundabout and Juicy ice cream shop
• Main Road, Kumeū between Riverhead Road and Weza Lane.

The SH16 Brigham Creek to Waimauku project aims to improve safety and capacity along this busy route in the near term, while Waka Kotahi works with Auckland Transport and Auckland Council on longer-term investigations to address future growth and congestion in northwest Auckland.

Stage Two between Brigham Creek and Kumeu will include flexible road safety barriers, a flush medium to create safe space for turning vehicles, extra lanes between Brigham Creek and Taupaki roundabout to improve capacity and travel times and an upgrade at the SH16/Coatesville Riverhead Highway intersection.

A new shared path between Kumeū and Brigham Creek for walking and cycling will connect into the wider Auckland cycling network and provide more travel options for the community.

For more on the project see https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/sh16-brigham-creek-and-waimauku/

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