Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advises that demolition will start this week of four buildings at a major transport intersection in central Auckland to remove a public health and safety risk.
Waka Kotahi Director of Regional Relationships, Steve Mutton, says that following the removal of asbestos, demolition will start on Wednesday, 26 August weather permitting at 154-174 Beach Road. The buildings are beside a major city intersection crossed by State Highway 16 which links the port to Auckland’s motorway network.
Demolition of the mainly two-storey buildings will take place during daylight hours and take about two months. Cyclists will be directed to use the dual-lane cycleway on the other side of Beach Road during demolition but the footpath past the buildings will be open most of the time. There will be no requirement for traffic lane closures.
“The plan is to demolish most of each building and just leave the street-facing façade standing. The demolition team will then cut and crane the facade down into the site.”
“Traffic controllers will be on hand to guide pedestrians to the other side of the road while this is happening. There will be no need for road or vehicle lane closures.”
The façade demolition is planned for weekends when there will be less foot traffic and disruption:
The bus stop on Beach Road will be closed and passengers directed to a temporary stop on Parnell Rise.
During demolition, heavy truck movements will be controlled by a traffic controller when necessary, with trucks leaving the site and turning left on to Beach Road.
The site was purchased in 2002 for a future transport project planned to start in 2028 to improve access between the port and the motorway system. The buildings have been vacant since May 2018.
“The buildings are not suitable for either commercial or residential tenants because they are an earthquake risk and contain asbestos. Leaving them as they are would put people and neighbouring properties at risk in the event of an earthquake,” says Mr Mutton.
“We considered strengthening and improving one of the buildings for businesses and apartments, but this would require significant investment and is not a viable option.”
“The buildings would need to be demolished at some point but removing them now allows us to work with potential partners to find a temporary use for the land until it is needed for the project.
Negotiations are under way to lease the cleared site for a short-to-medium term public transport facility.”
Waka Kotahi apologises in advance for any disruption and inconvenience during demolition and thanks people for their understanding.
The buildings to be demolished on Beach Road, starting Wednesday.
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