The NZ Transport Agency says significant lane restrictions will have a big impact on drivers using the Te Atatu interchange during ANZAC weekend, from 10pm Friday 24 April to 5am Tuesday 28 April.
The closures are necessary to raise the third and final bridge of the Te Atatu Road interchange. The interchange is made up of three separate bridges, one was raised during November 2014, the second during the Christmas period and the third will be during the long ANZAC weekend.
“Although traffic volumes are lower due to the long weekend there is likely to still be significant delays,” says the Transport Agency’s Highway Manager Brett Gliddon. “We greatly appreciated peoples support during the recent Easter works and previous bridge jackings and we are asking people to help us complete the work as quickly as possible by staying off the roads, using alternative routes, or allowing plenty of time to get through the interchange.”
The lane closures will be from 10pm Fri 24 Apr to 5am Tues 28 Apr and are as follows:
From 10pm to 5am each night, the right turn from the westbound exit to Te Atatu Peninsula will be closed. This closure will be lifted at 4am on Sat 25 Apr for ANZAC services.
The Northwestern motorway and cycleway will remain open throughout the works.
Mr Gliddon says the Te Atatu overbridge is being raised 600mm (almost 2 feet). “We are using jacks to slowly raise the bridge and once all three bridge structures are lifted it will improve safety by increasing the clearance for motorway traffic underneath”.
This work is part of the Te Atatu Interchange Upgrade Project, one of six projects either completed or under construction to link the Northwestern and Southwestern (SH20) motorways providing a motorway alternative to SH1 known as the Western Ring Route. The project is widening the five existing motorway on-ramps and exits at Te Atatu and improving access for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. It is also widening the Northwestern motorway between the Te Atatu interchange and Henderson Creek and is due to be completed in the first half of 2016.
For more information on the Te Atatu Interchange Upgrade Project, visit:
Project: www.nzta.govt.nz/network/projects/sh16-te-atatu-road-interchange/(external link)
Highway information: www.highwayinfo.govt.nz(external link) and freephone 0800 444 449
Get free email alerts on a specific route by signing up to www.onthemove.govt.nz(external link)
Auckland roads and public transport: www.at.govt.nz(external link)
