Plan ahead for travel near Onehunga over New Year period

The NZ Transport Agency and Auckland Transport are advising people to plan ahead for travel near Onehunga over the New Year period, as a major piece of work takes place at the end of Neilson Street which may cause delays.

From Tuesday 27 December until Sunday 15 January, Neilson Street will be closed between Galway Street and Onehunga Mall to demolish the rail bridge and replace it with a new, lowered road. This will help freight and other vehicles which currently struggle up the hill to reach the intersection at Onehunga Mall.

The work will provide early benefits around the Onehunga area as part of the first stage of the East West Connections project and includes improvements to local roads and State Highway 20. It is expected to be completed by February 2017.

People should avoid Neilson Street if they can as it will be busy in the area and delays are expected.

"We're advising motorists to plan in advance for busy shopping days at the mall and going to events like the Waikaraka Speedway. Allowing an extra 20 minutes should make it a less stressful trip for everyone," says Brett Gliddon the Transport Agency's Auckland HIghway Manager.

People heading to Auckland Airport during this time should avoid travelling through Onehunga and use other routes instead. They can access the Southwestern Motorway directly at Queenstown Road or use Gillies Avenue on the Southern Motorway.

"Onehunga is open for business during this time so we encourage people to use the bus or take the train to the station as services will be running as normal. It's a short walk to the town centre from there," says Andrew Scoggins, Auckland Transport's Major Capital Group Manager.

Detours will be in place for trucks and motorists on Galway and Princes Streets to the Onehunga Town Centre. For travel advice, look out for suggested routes on electronic signs and motorway gantries which will be updated in real time.

The improvements on Neilson Street have been designed to integrate with future mass transit or light rail to the airport. The land underneath the rail bridge will be retained so that any new proposed route for mass transit or light rail can be elevated over the new, lowered road on Neilson Street and continue south in the future.

For detours and travel information visit the website www.nzta.govt.nz/east-west. For public transport and timetables please visit www.ATMetro.co.nz. Follow us on Facebook at NZTAAkl and Twitter@NZTAAkl or phone 0800 348 007.

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