A safer and less congested Redoubt Road is on the way before the end of the year.

To improve traffic flow, Auckland Transport (AT) will install dynamic lanes on Redoubt Road in Manukau, between the Southern Motorway offramp and Hollyford Drive.

AT will also make safety improvements at three road crossings along the route.

Construction on Redoubt Road was originally planned to be complete earlier this year, but design changes and the COVID-19 lockdown caused some delay. Construction is now underway and due for completion by late 2020.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says he is pleased to see work on the dynamic lanes get underway.

“Dynamic lanes are an effective solution to reduce congestion and delays for motorists that do not require the costly and time-consuming process of building new physical lanes,” he says.

“They have proved their effectiveness in Whangaparāoa and on the Auckland Harbour Bridge and hopefully will be just as effective on Redoubt Road, which I use frequently.”

Whangaparāoa Road’s dynamic lanes trial has already seen positive benefits for the community while providing learnings for AT as it was the first of its kind in Australasia. AT’s most recent analysis shows the following results for Whangaparāoa Road’s dynamic lanes (pre-COVID-19 lockdown):

• An average of more than 1.5-minute travel time savings in the PM peak which on some days could be up to 3.8 minutes total

• In the AM peak, we are receiving between a minute to 1.5-minute saving

• Anecdotally, some customers say they have benefited by over 5-minute savings

• Annualised benefits are now estimated at $1 million per annual and $17 million over the life of the project

Like Panmure Bridge and Whangaparāoa Road, the dynamic lanes on Redoubt Road will use overhead signs and on-road lights to change the direction of the centre lane at busy times.

Otara-Papatoetoe Local Board Chair Lotu Fuli says this project is greatly needed.

“Locals will know, traffic along this stretch is particularly bad. Vehicles heading away from Manukau have to merge into one lane and this causes long delays on the drive or bus ride home,” she says.

“Dynamic lanes are a great, smart, and quick solution that makes the most of the space we have.”

The safety improvements for the area include:

· A pedestrian crossing with traffic lights across Redoubt Road (near Diorella Drive);

· A pedestrian crossing with traffic lights on the slip lane going from Redoubt Road to Hollyford Drive;

· Safety improvements for those crossing Diorella Drive (near Redoubt Road).

Ms Fuli says she wants to see more of these safety improvements across South Auckland.

“These new crossings will make it much safer for those getting off the bus, kids walking to school, and people heading towards the shops at Manukau. Our board wants to see more money spent to improve road safety in the area.”

Consultation with locals on the design changes was held last month.

AT's Group Manager for Network Management, Randhir Karma, says feedback showed this location is a particular pain point for people using Redoubt Road and locals were looking forward to the project.

“Managing our roads dynamically is a quick and cost-effective way to improve customer journeys at our main bottlenecks. We did this recently on Whangaparāoa Road and the results are fantastic. People are saving time and getting home after work sooner.

“Last month, we asked for feedback from the community on these design changes and overall they were very supportive.”

Mr Karma adds, “Some concerns were raised about the location of the safer road crossing on Diorella Drive. We listened to these concerns and following an investigation this crossing has been moved closer to the intersection with Redoubt Road.”

Once the lanes are turned on later this year, AT will monitor whether these operating times need to be adjusted.

For more information on Redoubt Road’s dynamic lanes, please visit at.govt.nz/projects-roadworks/dynamic-lanes/redoubt-road-dynamic-lanes

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