There are some pretty significant works happening this weekend on a number of transport projects around the region so if you are around the region it would be good to try and not get caught up in them.

First up we have the NZTA closing the motorway’s northbound lanes between Market Rd and Gillies Ave to enable them to move move the lanes onto the newly replaced Newmaket Viaduct. The lanes will be closed between 5pm on Saturday and and should reopen on the new viaduct on the morning of Monday 30th. As part of this the large blue crane will be shifted to the current northbound lanes to start taking down that viaduct.

Here’s the full press release:

The motorway’s northbound lanes will be closed between the Market Road off-ramp  and the Gillies Ave on-ramps from 5pm Saturday, 28 January, for final preparations to allow drivers on to the new northbound viaduct from Anniversary Monday morning, 30 January.

“Travel delays will be inevitable, they will be considerable and they will be widespread” says the NZTA’s acting State Highways manager for Auckland and Northland, Steve Mutton.

“We’re talking about trying to re-direct up to 65,000 vehicles on the Sunday alone,” he adds. “Even with detours, the impact of the closure will be felt well beyond the Southern Motorway. If people absolutely must travel we’re urging that they allow a lot more time for their journey. “

“We accept that this may cause frustration – particularly on a long weekend – but our best advice is to stay away from the motorway during Auckland Anniversary weekend,” Mr Mutton says.

The closure is necessary so that the NZTA can switch the motorway’s northbound lanes across to the new viaduct.  At the same time, the blue lifting gantry used for the viaduct’s construction has to be moved on to the existing northbound viaduct to help with its demolition.

Mr Mutton says construction of the new viaduct is ahead of schedule and the NZTA and its NGA Newmarket alliance partners (NZTA, Leighton Contractors, Fulton Hogan, Beca, VSL, URS, Tonkin @ Taylor and Boffa Miskell) want to deliver the benefits from the project to drivers as quickly as possible.

“To have reached the stage where we’re now ready to switch northbound traffic across to the new structure, significantly ahead of schedule is a remarkable achievement,” Mr Mutton says.  “We’ve had fantastic support from drivers while we’ve replaced the old viaduct and we’re now asking people to help us again to keep the city moving through this closure.

“We’re taking advantage of a long three- day weekend so that we can deliver this important project to Aucklanders.  We appreciate the support and patience of all drivers and we’ll be working hard to finish as quickly as possible.”

Detours will be in place during Anniversary weekend and detour routes to key destinations are available online, at www.nzta.govt.nz/aklsummerseason and www.facebook.com/switchmyroute.

Mr Mutton repeats, however, that alternative routes will not be able to cope if regular weekend traffic flows occur.

“Even with a managed closure and detours in place, congestion will be extensive.”

The Automobile Association is supporting the NZTA in urging people to avoid unnecessary trips.  If they do have to travel says AA spokesman Simon Lambourne, they should plan their journeys and drive with patience and care.

“Congestion will be significant with the closure of the northbound lanes,” Mr Lambourne says, “but the short term pain will be well worth it given the long term benefits of the new viaduct.”

The new southern viaduct at Newmarket opened in September, 2010, after a similar motorway closure.
Like the old viaduct built in 1965, its replacement is almost 700 metres long but it has wider lanes, is seismically stronger, and will produce less traffic noise.

“The viaduct stands at the heart of one of the most critical transport links for Auckland and New Zealand – one that carries on average more than 160,000 vehicles daily,” says Mr Mutton.

The opening of the viaduct’s northbound lanes on Auckland Anniversary Monday marks the latest in  a series of large NZTA projects to improve travel through the central motorway junction (CMJ). The viaduct is located at the southern end of the CMJ.  At its northern end, the Victoria Park tunnel  opened last November, and new southbound lanes through St Marys Bay and across the Victoria Park flyover opened earlier this month.

“These are huge projects designed to help Auckland’s economy and its communities,” Mr Mutton says.  “With the support of drivers during Auckland Anniversary Weekend we will be able to deliver the next very significant improvement to their motorway to make travel more reliable, quicker, and safer.”

The NZTA is running an extensive communications campaign using traditional and social media, and a large sign on the lifting gantry on the Newmarket Viaduct to make people aware of the closure and its impact on travel.

The southbound lanes on the Southern Motorway are not affected by the Auckland Anniversary Weekend closure.

Note to editors: In the event of adverse weather the weekend of January 28-30, these works could be delayed until Waitangi weekend.

For more information on the Newmarket Viaduct Replacement Project visit,www.nzta.govt.nz/newmarketconnection

Readers may remember that the same thing happened to the southbound lanes back in September 2010, similar warnings were given but overall things seemed to work smoothly. That was also helped in part by ARTA eventually listening to public calls and put on free trains during the shutdown however that won’t really be very effective this time as ……

Parts rail network will also be shut in many places for electrification upgrade works.

Buses will replace trains on the following lines:

EASTERN LINE: Papakura to Britomart via Glen Innes
SOUTHERN LINE: Papakura to Otahuhu

Please Note: On Monday 30 January additional services will operate for Auckland Anniversay Day festivities.

The most interesting thing about all of this is that the Western line and parts of the Southern line will actually remain open and with the exception of the Labour Day weekend which fell during the RWC, this is the first long weekend in recent memory that we have had even some trains running, in a way it is a little taste for the future once we get our shiny new trains (its not to last though as the entire network will be shutdown the following weekend).

You can see all changes to PT over the weekend here.

Edit: AT have now put on more trains for this weekend on the lines that will be open.

Additional trains will operate on the Western, Onehunga and Southern lines (north of Otahuhu). They will run about every half hour between approximately 10am and 6pm. At other times the normal weekend timetable will be in place.

There will also be extra buses on to cater for the various events that will be happening

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6 comments

  1. usually when Chicken Little NZTA or any of its predecessors has cried “massive congestion” it simply hasn’t happened, is it that Auckland drivers are smarter than they are though to be?

    I recall the America’s Cup parade day, CHOGM, RWC parade day, I’m sure we can all think of more examples when PT services were clogged and the roads empty

      1. Yes, possibly, but they mostly go several years between making these pronouncements. And it’ll only take one event where people think “They’re just making it up, they’ve been wrong all the other times” to prove the transport agencies correct and reset the cycle.

        People also have experience every year of things like the Santa Parade which gives them a baseline understanding for “Everyone driving at the same time with some roads closed” and how bad it can get.

  2. It’simportant to understand that these announcements are warnings that if people don’t change their behaviour then there will be dire consequences, they are not predictions that we are all doomed no matter what we do. The fact that most people aren’t stupid means that the warnings are heeded, people change their behavior and catastrophe is avoided. A minority who can’t or won’t distinguish between a warning and a prediction will then argue that the experts were wrong yet again because yet again their predicted calamity never came to pass. Over the years SARS, Y2K, numerous freeway closures and the Club of Rome’s Limits to Growth have all fallen victim to this phenomenon.

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