The NZ Transport Agency advises drivers that there will be extended overnight closures of the southbound lanes of Auckland's Southern Motorway (State Highway 1) between Market Rd and the Greenlane interchange over the New Year holiday weekend. One northbound lane of the motorway will also be closed at the same time.
The closure dates are as follows:-
Southbound traffic will be diverted along Great South Road during the closures.
The motorway is being closed for essential safety work as part of the construction of the fourth southbound lane between Market Road and Greenlane linked to the Newmarket Connection: Viaduct Replacement Project, says the NZTA’s State Highways Manager for Auckland and Northland, Tommy Parker.
The closures – which will generally start and finish approximately two hours earlier and later than standard overnight closures – will allow contractors to install a new central median barrier along the motorway. They have been scheduled to coincide with lower traffic volumes during the holidays, says Mr Parker.
“Installation of the median barriers requires three 10-hour working windows, therefore we felt that extending our traditional overnight closure periods at this time of year would create the least amount of inconvenience,” he adds.
“While the lighter traffic flows should limit delays for drivers and reduce the impact on residents along the Great South Road detour route, we do acknowledge that there will be some disruption and thank motorists and the local community for their patience and support,” Mr Parker says.
Scheduled to open in February 2011, the fourth southbound lane from Newmarket to Greenlane is expected to reduce peak hour journey times by up to 5 minutes. When combined with the completion of the Victoria Park Tunnel project at the northern end of the central motorway Junction in mid 2012, journey times will ultimately be reduced by up to 10 minutes.
