Auckland Transport (AT) and Panuku Development Auckland are working together to deliver Project WAVE - a trial cycleway through the Viaduct area of downtown Auckland, connecting the Nelson Street and Quay Street cycleways.

Additional loading zones, pedestrian crossing points, and a one-way system also form part of the trial, which encompasses Market Place, part of Customs Street West, and Lower Hobson Street.

The short construction period is expected to begin this week. The cycleway will open in stages and is expected to be fully open by mid-May 2021. In mid-2021, AT will decide its long-term future.

Project WAVE is one of more than twenty projects across Auckland that are funded through Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Innovating Streets for People pilot fund, which aims to create more people-friendly spaces in our towns and cities.

Waitematā Local Board Chair Richard Northey says that Project WAVE will provide a key missing link for people on bikes.

“This provides a key link in our growing network of cycleways. It will now be possible for people on bikes and scooters to get from Karangahape Road and the Northwestern Cycleway directly, all the way down to Quay Street, the Viaduct and Britomart on a protected cycleway. That is a huge positive and will encourage more people to jump on a bike, knowing their journey will be a safe one.”

Throughout the trial, AT will monitor the project and seek community feedback on how well it’s working.

AT has formed a working group to support the evaluation, which includes representatives from Heart of the City, the Waitematā Local Board, Bike Auckland, and local landowner Viaduct Harbour Holdings.

Auckland Transport’s Group Manager of Network Management, Randhir Karma, says the temporary installations are about testing things in the community to see how they actually work.

“AT is trialling new ways of working with our communities. Fast changes in our streets have the potential to deliver significant safety and liveability benefits in a short timeframe. We are looking to deliver cycling infrastructure in a quick and agile way.”

Approximately $900,000 is the allocated total budget for the project.

Find out more here: AT.govt.nz/projectwave

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