With the northern and southern parts of the Northern Pathway now under way, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is working on a business case for the central section to deliver the full pathway as efficiently as possible.
The walking and cycling pathway is planned to stretch from Westhaven to Albany. As part of the business case for the Akoranga to Constellation Drive section, Waka Kotahi is seeking feedback on the route and design. Consultation is now open online until Sunday, 14 June 2020.
The seven-kilometre shared path will connect the proposed Westhaven to Akoranga pathway across the Waitematā Harbour to the section already under construction between Constellation Drive and Albany as part of the Northern Corridor Improvements (NCI) project.
Once completed, it will connect the entire length of the Northern Pathway from Central Auckland to Albany, as well as the North Shore communities along the way, into Auckland’s growing cycle network.
“We are at the very early stages of the design and business case process, and we’re consulting widely to ensure this section of the Northern Pathway meets the needs and aspirations of our customers and delivers the best fit-for-purpose design,” says Waka Kotahi Director of Regional Relationships, Steve Mutton.
“We’ve been talking with mana whenua, our partners and key stakeholders. They’ve asked us to look beyond the pathway as simply a commuter route between Central Auckland and the North Shore and to think of it as a resource connecting the community to schools, public transport hubs, recreation centres, parks and town centres.”
“We also want to hear from people who live locally and others who will use the path or are interested in the project, so we understand their priorities and concerns as we move towards identifying our preferred route.”
“We want to capture local knowledge of the area, including how people want to use this section of the Northern Pathway, the destinations they want to reach, and what will make the path attractive for them to use.”
The pathway will follow the alignment of the Northern Motorway (SH1) between Akoranga and Constellation Drive.
“At this stage, we have not decided which side of the motorway the pathway will be on,” says Steve Mutton.
“We know we will need to cross the motorway at some point because the Westhaven to Akoranga section of the pathway has been designed to finish on the western side of the motorway, and the Constellation Drive to Albany section begins on the eastern side of the motorway. Ideally, we would like to cross only once as we know that this will provide the most direct route.”
We want to design a shared pathway to deliver transformational change in walking and cycling in Auckland, offering people active transport choices that are good for their health, and the environment.
Our consultation processes usually provide opportunities for face-to-face engagement. With the current level of COVID-19 restrictions, we continue to take a careful approach to our public engagement and are only providing opportunities for engagement online.
For more information on the Northern Pathway project and to find out how you can have your say:
