Work on Upper Harbour Corridor Begins

Early work on the Upper Harbour Corridor was celebrated today as Minister of Transport Paul Swain and North Shore mayor George Wood placed the first survey pegs for the second Upper Harbour Bridge section of the Upper Harbour Corridor project.

Once completed, the 12 kilometre four-lane corridor will link the Northwest Motorway to the Albany Highway though the suburbs of Hobsonville and Greenhithe. It will also extend the Northwest Motorway by 3 km.

"There are currently 2,460 vehicles over the existing Upper Harbour Bridge in peak hour, and 27,400 a day," said Mr Swain. " Because this bridge and this route are at capacity, the peak periods are getting longer. Twenty years ago there were 550 vehicles an hour on the bridge.

"As well as catering for the increase in traffic between Waitakere and North Shore, the corridor will be a critical part of the Western Ring route, which will provide an alternate route to State Highway 1 through the Auckland region.

"The Auckland regions' traffic problem is a drain on the whole country's economy and this government has shown it is determined to tackle the problem," said Mr Swain. "By changing the criteria on which roads are funded we are making more money available to Auckland to make up for the under-funding, which the region has suffered from over the past decade.

"However it's not just about roads. This government is taking a more balanced approach to solving the city's transport problems as illustrated by its decision to purchase the rail tracks in Auckland. By getting more people and freight on trains we can ease the pressure on the regions' roads."

Mr Swain emphasised that the second Upper Harbour Bridge project was not just for cars. "There will be a 3.6m wide cycle-way and walkway to the north of the bridge," he said.

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