The old Rimu Road bridge over the Southwestern Motorway (SH20) will be demolished piece by piece over three nights as part of the SH20 Manukau Harbour Crossing project. Starting this Sunday evening, the NZ Transport Agency will close all motorway lanes underneath the Rimu Road overbridge to carry out the demolition.
Closures will take place each night between 9pm and 5am from Sunday 7 December until Tuesday 9 December. If the work is postponed due to wet weather, closures will take place on Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 December. The closures include the two kilometre stretch of motorway travelling southbound between Mahunga Drive off-ramp and Walmsley Road on-ramp, and northbound between Coronation Road off-ramp and Rimu Road on-ramp.
Delays are possible so motorists are advised to leave an extra 30 minutes for their journey, especially when travelling to Auckland International Airport. Advance warning signs will be in place to give early notice of the closure and motorists can listen to radio traffic reports for updates.
Motorists are advised to follow the signposted detours via Mahunga Drive for southbound traffic and via Coronation Road for northbound traffic. Large vehicles and trucks should travel via Wallace and Church Roads to avoid damaging trees in Mangere Bridge village.
“The demolition of the old overbridge is a key milestone for the project and signifies good progress on this southern side. The new bridge is being built and motorists are already travelling across one part of the new structure,” says NZTA acting regional manager Tommy Parker.
The new Rimu Road overbridge is scheduled to be completed by mid 2009. It will feature cycle lanes in both directions, a widened footpath for pedestrians and barriers to improve safety. The road layout will revert to one eastbound and two westbound lanes - one for traffic turning onto the motorway and the other for traffic going to Mangere Bridge village.
The NZ Transport Agency thanks motorists for their patience and co-operation while construction takes place.
