12 December 2014 | NZ Transport Agency - Auckland

Plan for delays on the Northwestern at Te Atatu

The NZ Transport Agency says lane closures will have an impact on drivers using a section of Auckland’s Northwestern motorway (State Highway 16) and the Te Atatu interchange after Christmas and early in the New Year.

The closures are necessary to raise the second section of the Te Atatu Road overbridge. The bridge is made up of three separate structures, the first was raised during November and the third and last section will be raised during 2015.

Work to raise the second section is taking place over 10 days during the summer holiday period when traffic volumes are at their lightest.

“Although traffic levels are quieter during this time of year, there is likely to still be delays,” says the Transport Agency’s Highway Manager Brett Gliddon. “We greatly appreciated everyone’s support during the first bridge lift in early November and we are asking road users to again help us complete the work as quickly as possible by staying off the roads, using alternative routes or allowing plenty of time to get through the interchange.”

The lane closures will be from 4am Saturday 27 December to 5am Monday 5 January and are as follows:

• Te Atatu Rd will be reduced to a single lane in each direction over the bridge between Te Atatu South and Te Atatu Peninsula 4am Saturday 27 December to 5am Monday 5 January

• The Northwestern motorway will be reduced to a single lane each way under the Te Atatu bridge during the day, and then closed under the bridge from 10pm each night. All lanes on the motorway will be open on New Year’s Eve night (31 December) and New Year’s Day (1January)

• The Te Atatu city bound loop onramp will be closed from Saturday 27 December to Monday 5 January

The Northwestern cycleway and footpaths will remain open throughout the works.

Mr Gliddon says the Te Atatu overbridge is being raised 600mm (almost two feet). “We are using jacks to slowly raise the bridge and once all three bridge structures are lifted it will improve safety by increasing the clearance for motorway traffic underneath.”

This work is part of the Te Atatu Interchange Upgrade Project, one of six projects either completed or under construction to link the Northwestern and Southwestern (SH20) motorways providing a motorway alternative to SH1 known as the Western Ring Route. The project is widening the five existing motorway on-ramps and exits at Te Atatu and improving access for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. It is also widening the Northwestern motorway between the Te Atatu interchange and Henderson Creek and is due to be completed in December 2016.

For more information on the Te Atatu Interchange Upgrade Project, visit:-

Project: www.nzta.govt.nz/network/projects/sh16-te-atatu-road-interchange/

Highway information: www.highwayinfo.govt.nz and freephone 0800 444 449
Get free email alerts on a specific route by signing up to www.onthemove.govt.nz
Auckland roads and public transport: www.at.govt.nz

ENDS

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