SH20A improvements to airport journeys now open to traffic

The upgraded intersection of State Highway 20A and Kirkbride Road has opened to traffic this morning and will help to improve journeys to, from and around Auckland Airport.

The highway now travels under Kirkbride Road via an underpass, separating motorway and local traffic.

The NZ Transport Agency’s Senior Manager Project Delivery, Chris Hunt, says separating the two sets of traffic will improve flows and make travel through the area safer and more reliable.

“A number of intersections along the route have also been improved which will help connect the local community and make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists, especially the many school children using the area each day.”

State Highway 20A is the gateway to Auckland and the rest of New Zealand for many people and forms a key link between the Western Ring Route, the airport area, the port and greater Auckland.

The upgrade follows the opening of the Waterview Tunnel in July which has already improved travel times and reliability for people and businesses heading to and from the airport.

“By giving people a real choice of routesincluding State Highway 1 and the Waterview Tunnel, travel times to and from the airport are now consistently faster.”

The Transport Agency is continuing to work with its partners Auckland Transport and Auckland Airport on a range of short, medium and long term measures to improve reliability and reduce congestion in the areas immediately surrounding the airport.

Along with Auckland Transport we have made the new infrastructure at the Kirkbride Road intersection wide enough to accommodate any future mass transit solution.

Further improvements to SH20B are also being planned to improve capacity along the south eastern access to the airport.

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