As part of its Russley Road Upgrade project, the NZ Transport Agency is closing access to the airport side of Wairakei Road from Russley Road.
The change is likely to occur overnight Thursday night, in place on Friday 14 October. Road users have had on-site warnings of this change for several weeks.
Drivers will still be able to exit Wairakei Road onto Russley Road from the east, heading towards the Memorial Ave intersection. Drivers on Russley Road heading south towards the airport will also be able to turn left onto Wairakei Road.
But there will be no direct access to the airport precinct area and Orchard Road from Wairakei Road as there is currently. (See maps below.)
The change at Wairakei Road is necessary for safety, given the closeness of the intersection to the Russley Road/ Memorial Ave airport interchange lanes.
The Harewood Road roundabout is now completed and the underpass/shared path for cyclists and pedestrians is completed and is in use.
Final engineering work – removing traffic islands and the roundabout - at the Wairakei intersection with Russley Road is likely to take place at weekends and off-peak hours in October. The roundabout is likely to be reduced to one lane during this time.
