Access between Norton Road and Lincoln Street will be restored again next Saturday, September 27, with the opening of the Norton Road connection to the Rifle Range Road Roundabout.
Access between Norton Road and Lincoln Street will be restored again next Saturday, September 27, with the opening of the Norton Road connection to the Rifle Range Road Roundabout.
The reconnection of Norton Road to Lincoln Street will enable children to safely cycle and walk to school next term - well away from the busy state highway and railway line. Almost 1km of paved pedestrian/cycleways and underpasses have been constructed in the Rifle Range Road Roundabout area, including two shared pedestrian/cycleways that pass under the Norton Road rail bridge.
Norton Road was previously connected to Lincoln Street via a railway level crossing, which was closed in January to enable the construction of a new rail bridge and roundabout for the NZ Transport Agency’s Avalon Drive Bypass project.
Since the closure of the level crossing NZTA and ONTRACK have carried out a complex construction programme which has included the temporary relocation of Lincoln Street, the lowering of the entire Rifle Range Road Roundabout area by over three metres, the temporary diversion of two railway tracks, construction of a new rail bridge and the lowering of Norton Road by over seven metres to pass under the new railway bridge.
NZTA Regional Manager Kaye Clark says, “The section of track that runs through the Norton Road area carries more freight than any other in New Zealand and around 30,000 vehicles travel on SH1 through Lincoln Street each day. Coordinating the rail work with the road works and bridge construction, while still maintaining the rail and traffic flows, has been challenging but the result is now a much safer intersection with better traffic flows.”
The former signalised intersection between Lincoln Street, Norton Road and Rifle Range Road provided only one controlled pedestrian crossing of Lincoln Street, which required pedestrians to cross Norton Road and Rifle Range Road as gaps in the traffic occurred. Pedestrians and cyclists also had to cross the railway level crossing.
Mrs Clark says, “Catering for the needs of pedestrians and cyclists is a key priority for NZTA, and the facilities provided in the Rifle Range Road Roundabout area reflect this. The underpasses allow pedestrians and cyclists to travel under the roundabout in all directions without having to cross any roads, and all the routes are well lit and sign-posted.”
The new Avalon Drive Bypass connection to the Rifle Range Road Roundabout is expected to be opened to traffic in late October.
For more information please contact
Kaye Clark
Regional Manager
T 07 903 5113
M 027 279 5751
kaye.clark@nzta.govt.nz
Julie Hannam
Regional Communications Advisor
T 64 07 903 5146
M 64 027 294 2649
julie.hannam@nzta.govt.nz
