One of the big projects over the next few years will be be the seismic strengthening upgrade to the seawall along Quay St between Princes Wharf and Marsden Wharf. In preparation for that, contractors are currently digging a series of 16 trenches along Quay St to help find out what underground services exist. A map of the trench locations is below.
This work has necessitated the contractors using the cycleway for the works. In the past that would mean the cycleway would simply be closed and cyclists left to fend for themselves. But in a sign of how Auckland Transport are starting to improve, they’ve created a temporary cycleway by taking one of the car lanes.
https://twitter.com/twanduiv/status/1013890910721982465
This is excellent to see and hopefully a sign of what we should expect in future when a cycleway or bus lane is closed.
When the actual seawall project starts it’s going to see Quay St narrowed down significantly however as I understand, the cycleway will exist thought that time. In fact it was even designed with that in mind and so to shift it, it should be relatively straightforward as the concrete buffers and planter boxes can be unscrewed and shifted as appropriate.
The only downside to it all is that we’re not going to get the usage data as bikes won’t be crossing the current cycleway counter. A small price to pay I guess.
Good work in keeping this facility open Auckland Transport.
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It’s a mistake – surely?
You are right – well done AT on this.
As with the traffic changes for the CRL project, it will be interesting to see how much impact this has on city traffic, and whether it could be made permanent? Imagine how much nicer a place Quay Street and the wharves area would be if they had one lane of traffic instead of two going past.
Yes good suggestion – it is something that should be considered for all street changing construction activity – leverage the opportunity to NOT return the street to how it was before, and make that an aim that is considered every time.
That is the plan.
Good plan.
The poor cycle counter isn’t registering everyone on the diversion!
Awesome work by all involved though. It is great to still have a separated place to ride.
It’s realistic to do potholing for services. This is because there are historic services in this area that won’t have been built in their recorded location, there will be some that won’t be recorded at all and there is often conflicting sets of old information, upgrades that have gone through at various times, etc.
It is taking a huge risk to just rely on drawings and GIS even in newer areas. A stitch in time saves nine as the saying goes…
Really? They need to dig it up to find out what’s underneath?
Am I the only one it finds that absurd they don’t have that mapped out and recorded?
When do you think the original sea wall and services were laid down? How good were the GIS systems at that time?
Not sure. But given the other side of the road has been dug up about ‘insert number of your choice between 1 and 20 plus’ times over the years I assume this side has also had the same treatment and someone has thought to record what’s down there.
Or maybe it’s still in the original condition from day 1?
I will give you one example to show you why services need to be located.
A significant watermain was clearly identified on an asbuilt plan showing dimensions off the kerb line. At the time it was accurate relative to the kerb. Many years later the kerb was moved for widening of the road. Now where is the watermain ? unless you can track back when and how much the kerb was moved you don’t know where the watermain is. In this example people assumed the watermain was relative to the newer kerbline ( still some 30 years old).
However the issue is the 3D the location of services. Many old as built plans are 2d.
When our street’s stormwater and sewage were separated 12 years ago, they located the various pipes in our street and on our property. Those on our property, at least, were metres away from what the Council plans showed. The work was done, and no update of the plans was made. If I hadn’t had a newborn baby at the time, I would have been out there recording it myself, but now I have to rely on a pretty vague memory.
So I don’t think it’s unrecorded just due to its age.
Great to see & cute bike detour signs…so used to just car or sometimes ped ones.
So if this works well, will they leave the extra vehicle lane closed once the works are complete?
Why wait until we have hundreds of millions to revamp the street? Leave the cones there and keep one lane each way and thus much more pedestrian friendly.
Great decision, slow up the traffic even more to benefit the tiny percentage of people who cycle.
Drivers are evil and must be punished?
This Council just gets crazier and crazier.
Quay St is going to be one lane each way through this section after the works too. Buses and heavy vehicles are being redirected to other routes. This is in order to improve pedestrian connection between the city and the harbour. It is nothing to do with some kind of attack on drivers. After all drivers are simply people when they are driving, the same people who will benefit when walking, shopping, meeting etc….
Damn straight Glunn, it’s gone downhill ever since that pinko Len Brown divested council funds out of spatula and coffin manufacturing, now they just want citizens to go on living and breathing till they get a pension, the nerve.
I work directly beside the section being worked on. I can tell you first-hand the impact on traffic is approximately zero – more than enough road room in the morning and during the day, and the cones are cleared away daily before 5pm so the afternoon peak isn’t affected. You have chosen a really silly issue to get upset about.
Just wait until we convert the entire waterfront to a tramway with cycleways on the flanks, refer bike auckland’s post. Then you can keep your selfish, antisocial private vehicle in your garage and stop harrassing the cycle revolution!
I raised this with Auckland Transport and they confirmed the current situation, but also noted that the road will NEVER go back to the original width – this first stage of the quay street reprioritisation.
All good – but raises the question with me – many years ago, there was a zillion cars coming along Quay St and going up Queen St.
Where have they all gone to now?
Cars have drivers, and drivers are people (at least when they are not driving), and people have brains, and with a brain, education is possible. Quite possibly these zillion cars have found an alternative route?