Improvements to the intersection of State Highway 20A (SH20A) and Kirkbride Road are expected to be opened to early on Monday morning which will improve travel to, from and around Auckland Airport.
The new section of road is due to open this Sunday (27 August) which will take state highway traffic under Kirkbride Road.
“SH20A is the gateway to Auckland and the rest of the country for many people and forms a key link between the airport area, the port and greater Auckland,” says the NZ Transport Agency’s Senior Manager Project Delivery, Chris Hunt.
“By separating local and highway traffic at Kirkbride Road, it will improve flows and make travel safer and more reliable. The upgrade to intersections along the route will also help connect the local community and make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists to cross at what are very busy traffic areas, this is particularly important for the many school children in the area.”
Some final road marking needs to be completed which is dependent on fine weather, with the upgrade planned to be opened overnight on Sunday.
When the newly upgraded intersection opens traffic will be able to make right hand turns again.
As part of the changes the Montgomerie Road/SH20A intersection will close permanently to improve safety. There are several other options available to traffic wanting to access that section of Montgomerie Road.
“There are a high number of crashes in this area and closing Montgomerie Road will provide a safer and more reliable route to the airport,” says Chris Hunt.
The upgrade to SH20A is one of a number of initiatives underway and in planning to ensure people and businesses can continue to be confident in their airport journeys.
The opening of the SH20A upgrade builds on recent improvements to airport journeys as a result of the Waterview Tunnel opening.
“By giving people a real choice of routes including State Highway 1 and the Waterview Tunnel, travel times to and from the airport are now consistently faster than they were.”
The Transport Agency is continuing to work with its partners Auckland Transport and Auckland Airport on a range of short, medium and long term measures to improve reliability and reduce congestion in the areas immediately surrounding the airport.
Along with Auckland Transport we have made the new infrastructure at the Kirkbride Road intersection wide enough to accommodate any future mass transit solution.
Further improvements to SH20B are also being planned to improve capacity along the south eastern access to the airport.
