9 December 2005

Transit New Zealand completes vital CMJ link

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Friday 9 December to mark the opening of the new Southern Motorway (SH1) to Nelson St off-ramp in Auckland's Central Motorway Junction (CMJ). The ramp will open to traffic on Monday 12 December. The event represents an important milestone in Transit's ongoing programme to improve the safety and efficiency of the state highway network in Auckland.

The event was officiated by the Hon. Judith Tizard, Minister of Auckland Issues and Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard. Also present were members of Transit New Zealand, representatives of Iwi of Tamaki Makaurau including Ngati Paoa, Ngati Whatua and Ngaitai, the Auckland City Council and the Auckland Regional Council.

The Nelson St off-ramp is currently one of the only right hand diverges in the motorway network. This can often cause confusion for motorists, who expect to exit the motorway to their left. This can result in dangerous merging manoeuvres as motorists cut across traffic abruptly to access the off-ramp. By shifting the off-ramp from the existing right hand diverge to a left hand exit the new ramp will make exiting the motorway towards Auckland City more logical and safer for motorists.

As well as creating a safer roading environment, the Southern to Nelson St off-ramp will add extra capacity to one of Auckland's busiest motorway exits. New upgraded barriers on the structure provide added space on the carriageway allowing for three lanes, one more than the old ramp. The off-ramp will also feed into a dedicated left turn slip lane servicing Union St.

Transit will erect large signs on the Southern Motorway to give advance warning of the change. Motorists using the CMJ are asked to observe these signs and be aware of changes to the road layout from Monday.

Transit Regional Manager Richard Hancy says: "The Central Motorway Junction is used by hundreds of thousands of people each day. With such high demand on our roading infrastructure, upgrades to key components of the CMJ such as the Southern to Nelson St off-ramp are vital to managing Auckland's traffic congestion by creating a safe, efficient and modern system."

The upgrade is an important component of the CMJ project, which on completion will link all inner city motorways. The $140 million CMJ Stage 2 project is scheduled for completion in late 2006.

ENDS

© Scoop Media